


Siren: Born of Blood

by HufflepuffChildOfApollo



Series: Siren [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Astoria Greengrass, Character Death, Evil Mermaid Returns, F/M, Genuinely just writing For The Aesthetic™, How many times will i copy off the first story?, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I've caught myself once already, Minor Character Death, Not Canon Compliant, One-Sided Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Poor Lucius and Narcissa again, Sequel, Siren Draco Malfoy, Sirens, Sirens are less like werewolves, Tags May Change, This Time She Has Friends, Violence, Yet another story nobody asked for, and maybe one other person, except me, for a different reason
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 18:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21103811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HufflepuffChildOfApollo/pseuds/HufflepuffChildOfApollo
Summary: Draco has, after five long years, returned to land and found the whole world changed. But some things never change — and it's not always a good thing.Sequel to Siren





	1. Prologue: Searching

_June 13th, 2001_

_We've finally done it. The Ministry of Magic (Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures) has finally granted us permission for one more expedition, this time to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, to find a Siren settlement! I hope we can — the Southern Ocean Tribe were nearly wiped out by the time we got there. Hopefully they're doing alright in the reserve..._

_Shannon wasn't able to come, her son David got sick so she had to cancel last minute. Her replacement — I think his name's Harvey — is absolutely dreadful. He's seasick all the time, and he refuses to use magic to lift things, just so he can show off his "_muscles_'' (or lack thereof, if you ask me). _

_I'm really hoping this is the one. I mean, we've already checked all the other tribes and colonies; If it had been up to me, we would've gone here first, but we didn't have security clearance. _

_We had to take an extra course for this settlement — they're supposedly more aggressive than the others, though I don't think that's possible. The Arctic Ocean Colony was particularly hostile (not to mention terrifying) and I thank Merlin we didn't have to stay long. _

_I'd better stop writing, I think we're getting close!_

Astoria Greengrass closed her notebook and sighed, looking out over the dark water from the front of her boat, her long dark hair waving in the wind like a flag. The cold wind chilled her, and the salt air made her nose itch. But no matter how cold it was, how uncomfortable her waterproof robes were, or how loud her assistant was dragging the equipment across the deck, when he _could _just use magic, Astoria couldn't help the thrill she felt as she looked out at the dark sea, knowing what they would find in its depths — this time, for sure.

_Draco. _

It had been five years since he had disappeared. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (Beast _and _Being divisions) had been quite set on finding him at first, as he was the heir to a high-profile Pureblood family, but in late spring the following year, when the news came out that Lucius Malfoy had been arrested after a break-in at the Department of Mysteries that had been planned and orchestrated by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (or, as most people knew him now, Voldemort) the Ministry had decreased their efforts, and the following year so many other wizards and witches had gone missing that the search was called off completely. 

Until Astoria had entered the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, a job she'd aspired toward since the age of fourteen. She breezed through training, got her certification for travel, as well as a Marine Explorer's license, and started up her search again. 

That was a year ago. 

Now, Astoria had finally succeeded in what she'd been trying to do from the start; get clearance to scout out the Atlantic Ocean colony, a task easier said than done. 

Now, she could finally find him. And bring him home. 

"Stop here," she called to Harvey, who dropped the crate he was dragging and shuffled over to the control board, pressing a few buttons, and the boat stopped moving, rocking in the water a little. 

Astoria pulled off her waterproof robes, dropping them on the deck, and stretched her arms. She shivered a little more, now that she was clad in only a simple shirt and swimsuit — it would be more than enough once she was fully prepared <s>\--</s> but it was more than the cold. It was anticipation. 

_I'm really doing this, _she thought as she crossed to the crate of supplies, dug out a bottle of waterblock potion and rubbed it into her skin. _Actually, really doing this. _She sighed, buckling on her utility belt and opening the pockets, into which she placed two bottles of Gillyweed pellets, a compact first-aid kit and a skin protection potion. 

"Alright Harvey, my wand." Harvey handed her the wand, and she took a deep breath before casting a Bubble-Head Charm. Then she dove off the side of the boat, swimming down as far as she could before taking in a great gulp of icy water.

She took a few deep breaths, putting her wand in its holster, and looked at the compass strapped to her wrist. 

_Head north, _she remembered the instructor saying, _and watch for sharks._ She turned and swam north, taking deep breaths. The air would run out in the bubble soon, but she didn't want to use Gillyweed yet — free use of her hands would be important, and webbed fingers would be detrimental to that. So, she would renew the Bubble-Head Charm when it got too hard to breathe. She wouldn't be down here long. 

She kept swimming until, in front of her, there appeared a stone arch, overgrown with sea plants and lit up by an unidentifiable source. On either side of the opening stood two merpeople; they appeared female from a human perspective, but you could never tell for sure with merpeople; they might all look the same. The one on the left had long, dark brown hair and a teal-blue tail. Around her navel there was a circular tattoo with waving lines radiating outwards like rays of light; at a closer look Astoria could see that the other guard — a younger-looking mer with white hair and a maroon tail — had the same tattoo, though instead of blue, it was dark red. 

The one on the left held a hand out, and Astoria stopped. 

"Who are you?" the Siren spoke. Astoria hesitated before answering. 

"I'm Astoria Greengrass," she said, her voice rather muffled by the bubble around her head. "I've come in peace." 

The Siren eyed her suspiciously. "I am Morgaine of the Atlantic. My fellow guard is Tallulah. Why have you come here?"

"I wish to speak to your leader, if I may." Astoria couldn't keep her eyes from drifting toward Tallulah's tail, remembering what different colors signified. 

_Red — a bloody, violent death. _Astoria felt her stomach turn. 

_June 13th, 2001_

_We've finally done it. The Ministry of Magic (Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures) has finally granted us permission for one more expedition, this time to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, to find a Siren settlement! I hope we can — the Southern Ocean Tribe were nearly wiped out by the time we got there. Hopefully they're doing alright in the reserve..._

_Shannon wasn't able to come, her son David got sick so she had to cancel last minute. Her replacement — I think his name's Harvey — is absolutely dreadful. He's seasick all the time, and he refuses to use magic to lift things, just so he can show off his "_muscles_'' (or lack thereof, if you ask me). _

_I'm really hoping this is the one. I mean, we've already checked all the other tribes and colonies; If it had been up to me, we would've gone here first, but we didn't have security clearance. _

_We had to take an extra course for this settlement — they're supposedly more aggressive than the others, though I don't think that's possible. The Arctic Ocean Colony was particularly hostile (not to mention terrifying) and I thank Merlin we didn't have to stay long. _

_I'd better stop writing, I think we're getting close!_

Astoria Greengrass closed her notebook and sighed, looking out over the dark water from the front of her boat, her long dark hair waving in the wind like a flag. The cold wind chilled her, and the salt air made her nose itch. But no matter how cold it was, how uncomfortable her waterproof robes were, or how loud her assistant was dragging the equipment across the deck, when he _could _just use magic, Astoria couldn't help the thrill she felt as she looked out at the dark sea, knowing what they would find in its depths — this time, for sure.

_Draco. _

It had been five years since he had disappeared. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (Beast _and _Being divisions) had been quite set on finding him at first, as he was the heir to a high-profile Pureblood family, but in late spring the following year, when the news came out that Lucius Malfoy had been arrested after a break-in at the Department of Mysteries that had been planned and orchestrated by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (or, as most people knew him now, Voldemort) the Ministry had decreased their efforts, and the following year so many other wizards and witches had gone missing that the search was called off completely. 

Until Astoria had entered the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, a job she'd aspired toward since the age of fourteen. She breezed through training, got her certification for travel, as well as a Marine Explorer's license, and started up her search again. 

That was a year ago. 

Now, Astoria had finally succeeded in what she'd been trying to do from the start; get clearance to scout out the Atlantic Ocean colony, a task easier said than done. 

Now, she could finally find him. And bring him home. 

"Stop here," she called to Harvey, who dropped the crate he was dragging and shuffled over to the control board, pressing a few buttons, and the boat stopped moving, rocking in the water a little. 

Astoria pulled off her waterproof robes, dropping them on the deck, and stretched her arms. She shivered a little more, now that she was clad in only a simple shirt and swimsuit — it would be more than enough once she was fully prepared <s>\--</s> but it was more than the cold. It was anticipation. 

_I'm really doing this, _she thought as she crossed to the crate of supplies, dug out a bottle of waterblock potion and rubbed it into her skin. _Actually, really doing this. _She sighed, buckling on her utility belt and opening the pockets, into which she placed two bottles of Gillyweed pellets, a compact first-aid kit and a skin protection potion. 

"Alright Harvey, my wand." Harvey handed her the wand, and she took a deep breath before casting a Bubble-Head Charm. Then she dove off the side of the boat, swimming down as far as she could before taking in a great gulp of icy water.

She took a few deep breaths, putting her wand in its holster, and looked at the compass strapped to her wrist. 

_Head north, _she remembered the instructor saying, _and watch for sharks._ She turned and swam north, taking deep breaths. The air would turn stale in the bubble soon, but she didn't want to use Gillyweed yet — free use of her hands might be important in case the Siren got hostile, and webbed fingers would be detrimental to that. So, she would renew the Bubble-Head Charm when it got too hard to breathe. She wouldn't be down here long. 

She kept swimming until, in front of her, there appeared a stone arch, overgrown with sea plants and lit up by an unidentifiable source. On either side of the opening stood two merpeople; they appeared female from a human perspective, but you could never tell for sure with merpeople; they might all look the same. The one on the left had long, dark brown hair and a teal-blue tail. Around her navel there was a circular tattoo with waving lines radiating outwards like rays of light; at a closer look Astoria could see that the other guard — a younger-looking mer with white hair and a maroon tail — had the same tattoo, though instead of blue, it was dark red. 

The one on the left held a hand out, and Astoria stopped. 

"Who are you?" the Siren spoke. Astoria hesitated before answering. 

"I'm Astoria Greengrass," she said, her voice rather muffled by the bubble around her head. "I've come in peace." 

The Siren eyed her suspiciously. "I am Morgaine of the Atlantic Colony. My fellow guard is Tallulah. Why have you come here?"

"I wish to speak to your leader, if I may." Astoria couldn't keep her eyes from drifting toward Tallulah's tail, remembering what different colors signified. 

_Red — a bloody, violent death. _Astoria felt her stomach turn. Tallulah seemed not to notice. 

"Wait here," Morgaine said, motioning to Tallulah. "Go and get Sirina." The younger Siren nodded, swimming off quickly. Astoria bit her lip, clasping her hands behind her to keep from wringing them in her nervousness; her gaze kept flickering to Morgaine's sharp nails. 

"Have a seat, would you?" Morgaine said, gesturing to a stone in front of the arch. Astoria hesitated before sitting down. She sighed, resting her chin in her palms, and resigned herself to wait. 

After nearly an hour, Tallulah returned, looking as nervous as Astoria felt. 

"Sirina will see you now."

* * *

A guard named Morrissey led her through a patch of seaweed, then through a narrow tunnel, before stopping in a large cave lit by the same strange light. In the center, on a thronelike chair carved of grey stone, sat a Siren in gold armor. 

_This must be Sirina, _Astoria thought, looking the Siren up and down. Sirina had a long pink-and-purple tail, and pale, nearly white skin with golden tattoos. A brown stripe laid along a long nose, and brown hair, streaked with green, floated in the air. Golden eyes shined proudly in a pale face.

"Thank you, Morrissey," Sirina said in a proud, calm tone. She waved her hand and Morrissey swam away, leaving Astoria alone. Sirina turned her golden gaze to Astoria. 

"Why have you come here?" she asked coldly. 

"I'm seeking a friend," Astoria said, remembering what she'd rehearsed. "Named Draco."

"We have no one here with such a name, " Sirina said, turning her head away. 

"Wait! You lot use water names, correct?" Astoria inquired. "So he wouldn't have that name. He's got white hair, and he's pale, and he has grey eyes?"

Sirina looked at her. "We have a number of residents who would fit that description."

"He has a red tail. Oh! And he's male," Astoria added, remembering that some merpeople didn't use the he/she system to differentiate. Sirina nodded, seeming to think for a moment. 

"I can send out a search for your friend. If he is in the colony, he will likely be in the lower ranks. I'm afraid our records of residents there are not as updated."

Astoria nodded, relieved Sirina was even searching for him. "Thank you, your highness."

Sirina nodded her head. "Now, I will have Aidan escort you to the guests' quarters." She clapped her hands, and a striking merman with coal-colored skin and a tail and hair the colors of a fire appeared, a red tattoo standing out against his dark chest. Red spots like sparks covered his side and face. 

"Aidan, escort our guest to the proper quarters." Sirina's gaze settled on Astoria's legs, and she raised an eyebrow. "Put her in the nursery." 

Aidan swam forward, offering a hand to Astoria. She took his hand — this time prepared — and went with him as he pulled her back through the tunnel. 

As they went, they passed what appeared to be something like a village square — a patch of clear sand the size of a Quidditch stadium, with small houses made of leaves and bone surrounding it. Siren residents seemed to be going about their business, talking and working. Astoria noticed most of them were female, which made sense — males could only be turned into Sirens if they were bitten by one, and they often had jobs such as building and repairing homes, or hunting for food. 

Aidan led her into a small cave, then pointed to the ceiling. She frowned, puzzled, and looked up, seeing a large hole in the ceiling. 

"You want me to swim through there?" she asked. Aidan nodded, and swam away. She sighed, swimming upward. 

She emerged in a large, spacious cavern, and the first thing she noticed was that it was empty of water, except for the pool she had emerged from, and several small basins carved from rock — whether naturally or by hand she could not tell. There was also a wide stream running along the far wall, where a mermaid sat, scratching on the floor with a sharp rock. 

"Hello?" Astoria called. The mermaid looked up, her green eyes shining brilliantly through dark red hair, which hung down past her dark shoulders. Her eyes grew wide, and she dropped the rock. 

"Dylana!" she called, and a mermaid with short, braided red hair and dark red tattoos swam up, sighing tiredly. 

"What is it, Orabel?"

The darker mermaid — Orabel, Astoria assumed — pointed to Astoria, who had cancelled the Bubble-Head Charm and now stood, shivering, at the edge of the pool. Dylana followed the direction Orabel was pointing, her eyes widening only marginally. 

"Oh," she said softly, looking Astoria up and down. Astoria swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. 

"I— I'm Astoria. Sirina sent me here." She stood up straight, biting her lip. "She said I'm to stay in the nursery?"

Dylana nodded, sighing. "Follow," she said, swimming off down the stream and through a wide opening in the cave wall. Astoria followed warily, walking along the narrow ledge. 

They emerged in a small, dimly lit "room," where the stream split off into two smaller ones that went along the walls before coming back together at the other end of the room and going out another opening. In a small, clear pool near the edge of the stream slept several young Sirens — three to be exact, and looking between three and five years old. Two of them were girls, with matching reddish-blond hair and green tails. The third was a boy, whose black hair and light purple tail stood out. There were other such pools all around the edges of the room beside the stream, but they were all uninhabited and many of them were dry. 

"You'll sleep in here," Dylana said. "Orabel is in charge of bedding. Ask her if you need anything. And don't wake the babies." Astoria nodded, sitting down. Dylana swam out, and the light dimmed even further. Astoria laid down, sighing, and shifted until she was slightly more comfortable — something hard to do on a stone floor. Then, slowly, she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter one: Reunion

"Abrecan. Abrecan, wake up." 

Assana's voice roused the young merman from a pleasantly deep sleep. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and looked up at the older Siren. 

"What is it?" he signed lazily, raising a brow. He hadn't yet had a full sleep cycle, and his shift in the healing cave wasn't until the sun was overhead — then again, maybe it was, he wouldn't know. That wasn't his job, it was Solaria's, but a glance toward her quarters showed she was still fast asleep, and Lunida's bed was empty. 

"Slower, Abrecan. I can't understand when you mix your signs up like that." Assana's tone wasn't hostile, but he still rolled his eyes. 

"Easy for you to say," he signed one-handed, using the other to grab a branch and pull himself out of his bed. _This would be easier if I could just talk, _he thought, not for the first time. He quickly brushed away the thought; it had been five years since he'd spoken out loud, and it was probably for the best. The workers in the healing cave had hypothesized that it might be because he'd been turned in freshwater, so he couldn't speak in saltwater. That was as good an explanation as any, and it was the one he decided to stick to. The others were too confusing. 

"Now, follow me as soon as you're ready," Assana said, swimming off. He rolled his eyes, pausing by the cracked mirror on the wall to tie his long hair back before swimming after her. 

He expected her to lead him toward the healing cave; so he was surprised when, instead, she led him to the nursery. 

"Dylana called me over just a few minutes ago. Thelxepeia's ill," Assana explained as she swam up toward the side entrance of the nursery. Abrecan followed, glancing around. Assana led him to the nursery room, where Dylana leaned against a wall, cradling the younger of the two mermaids in her arms. 

"She woke up," Dylana said, holding Thelxepeia out toward him. 

"We hoped you might offer an opinion," Assana said. "You were more recently turned than I, and we hoped you might remember something."

Abrecan rolled his eyes, signing, "You woke me up for _this?_" he gestured to Thelxepeia. Thelxepeia whined, pulling her arm away when he reached out. 

He looked at Assana. "Upset," he signed. "Restless. Still getting used to being here." He sighed, gently taking the young mermaid in his arms. He gently placed her in the sleeping pool with her sister, where she curled up, her brown eyes gazing up at him. He looked to Assana. 

"Sing her to sleep," he signed, before turning to swim out, when another voice made him stop in his tracks.

"Draco?" 

He frowned, turning at the sound of the almost-familiar name. Then his eyes widened, his heart speeding up.

_Astoria?_

* * *

She looked older, but the resemblance was unmistakable. Her hair, her eyes — it could be no one else. Her hair hung damp over her pale, lightly freckled shoulders. He'd never noticed how many freckles she had before, but they were a welcome sight. 

But what the _hell _was she doing here? 

"Assana," he signed, tapping the older Siren on the shoulder. "Can you speak to her for me?" He pointed toward Astoria. 

"Alright," Assana said with a quizzical look. She looked toward Astoria, who was waiting in silence. 

"Astoria," Abrecan prompted Assana, spelling out the name. Assana whispered it back to him, making sure of her pronunciation, before repeating it aloud. 

"Astoria," she said. "Abrecan wishes me to speak to you for him." 

Astoria looked confused, and a bit hurt. Assana quickly jumped to remedy this. "He would speak to you himself, but he is incapable of speech." 

"Oh," Astoria said quietly. She looked him up and down. "Alright." 

Assana glanced toward Abrecan, watching as he signed before continuing. "He is glad to see you, but why are you here?" 

Astoria hesitated. "Well, I...I wanted to see him." 

"Why?" This question came from Assana herself. 

Astoria seemed to think hard on her answer. "We were friends," she said finally. 

Assana turned to Abrecan, who nodded in confirmation. 

"What is your purpose in coming here?" Assana asked. 

"I wanted to speak to him. I have news of his parents." Astoria's voice was strained, and Abrecan tensed. His parents? 

"I...I'd like to give the news to him alone, if I can," Astoria continued. Assana looked at Abrecan, raising a brow. He nodded, gesturing to Astoria to follow, and exited the nursery through the passage near the back. Astoria followed, clinging to the walls as she walked along the narrow ledge that ran alongside the stream. 

Abrecan stopped once they had emerged from the passage, pulling the curtain over the entrance closed. He then lowered his hands to his sides, clenching his fists to keep his hands from shaking with anxiety. He looked to Astoria, waiting for her to speak. She exhaled deeply, running a hand through her hair. 

"Draco — sorry, Abrecan — I...I'm not sure how to tell you this."

_ Quickly would be nice, _he thought, irritated. Astoria continued on slowly, however. 

"Your parents...their health has been...declining. Since you left, actually." Astoria wrung her hands together, looking down. "Your father isn't expected to live for more than a few months."

Abrecan's heart plummeted into his stomach, a wave of guilt washing over him. _It's your own fault, _part of him whispered viciously. _You're the one who left. You could have stuck around, helped them! Prevented it ever happening!_

"I...I understand if you say no, you seem to have a good life here, but...your parents want to see you before they — before anything happens." Astoria sighed, glancing up for a moment. Abrecan looked away, his nails digging into his palms.

_As if it'll be any bloody good to return now. Your parents are better off without you. Probably just want a chance to tell you what a disappointment you were. _

He shook away the thought — his parents had never been anything but supportive — sometimes a little _too _supportive, but they had always meant well. 

A lot could change in five years, though. 

"Abrecan?" Astoria's voice cut through his thoughts, his name sounding foreign and imperfect coming from her. "You don't have to answer right now. Think about it a while."

Abrecan nodded, looking up to meet her eyes. 

"Whenever you have your answer, get it to me however you want. I'll wait."

Abrecan nodded again, sighing. He gestured to the passageway back to the nursery, raising an eyebrow. Astoria seemed to take a moment, registering his unspoken question, before nodding. The two went back to the nursery, and Abrecan checked again on Thelxepeia and her sister before swimming out. He curled up in his bed, running through a list in his mind of the pros and cons of returning and staying until he finally, _finally _slipped back into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter two: Watching

Sharp, jagged claws scraped against rotted wood, tangled black hair floating around eyes a dull brown color and skin like a moss-covered stone. A raspy whisper called out into the dark, decayed wreck. 

"Morwenna!" 

Raidne swam forward, eyes searching the dark corners. "Morwenna! Come out!"

A faint red light became visible at the other end of the wreck. Raidne swam through, skirting around broken boards and fallen beams. 

"Morwenna! You were supposed to be waiting for me when I got here," she complained in a hiss. The younger Siren gazed up at her malevolently, her sharp teeth gripping her bottom lip. 

"I was busy," Morwenna snapped, straightening and swimming past Raidne. Raidne put her hand out, catching Morwenna's arm. 

"What were you busy with, Morwenna?" she hissed. Morwenna glared back defiantly. 

"I was watching the human boat," she admitted. "It's been there all day, I figured I might as well see who's on it."

Raidne scowled, looking up. The shadow of the fishing boat — out of place in the open ocean — loomed far overhead. "And who," she asked, looking at Morwenna, "is on it?"

Morwenna shrugged, still looking up. "A male. There was a female, but she left."

Raidne frowned. "Left? We're in the middle of the ocean, there's nowhere to_ go."_

"Well, _she _did. Up and jumped off the boat, swam off thataway." Morwenna gestured vaguely North. Raidne's frown deepened. 

"To the North?" She raised an eyebrow. "Toward the mer colony?"

Morwenna nodded, looking sour. "I hope she speared one of them"

Raidne rolled her eyes. Why Morwenna was still upset about being kicked out of that stupid colony, she'd never know. "What did the female look like?"

"Stupid, like most humans. Brown hair. Skinny."

_ Very helpful, _ Raidne thought sarcastically. Morwenna's glare told her she'd heard. "Was it a magical one or not?" she asked, her interest piqued. Very few humans came out this far without a reason; fewer still visited the colony.

Morwenna shrugged. "Why's it matter? She's in the colony now, you can't get to her."

Raidne raised a brow. "She can't stay in the colony forever. Now, _magic or not?_"

Morwenna scoffed. "Magic. She wouldn't have survived long if she wasn't." She laid across the top of a rotted trunk, examining her long, sharp nails. "Not with what _she _was wearing. Looked like she was going for a dip in the river, not diving the ocean."

Raidne was hardly listening, too busy hunting through the old chests and cabinets that hung precariously on the walls, her hands and eyes moving non-stop until she found what she was looking for; a knife, carved from stone using her fingernails. 

"Morwenna, did the girl have any distinguishing features?" she asked. "Scars, blemishes, anything?"

Morwenna looked at her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's all this about?"

"I have a score to settle," Raidne said calmly. 

Morwenna scoffed, looking up. "I didn't see any scars," she finally said. "Of course, I could only see her arms and legs. And her stupid face."

Raidne sighed. "I'll be back..." She turned, swimming out of the wreck.

"Where are you going!?" Morwenna called after her. She scowled, crossing her arms. "Stupid..."

* * *

Abrecan hurried to the healing cave, pushing through the gathered crowd outside to the single occupied bed, on which laid —

_Emiyn! _Abrecan hurried forward, his eyes on the gaping wound that cut across Emiyn's violet-colored chest. Emiyn's mate, Oceana, hovered nearby, her eyes anxiously watching as Abrecan and the other healer, Myuna, started to work. Emiyn's sister, Eathelin, floated behind Oceana, clutching a cut on her arm. 

"Get a bandage," Myuna said gruffly. Abrecan nodded, trying not to feel unnerved by the way her pupilless eyes seemed to_ cut _through him. Adrian — a broad-chested, blue-skinned, _annoyingly bossy_ merman covered in tattoos — hurried into the cave, followed closely by Tallulah, Dylana, and Meredith, whose normally proud face was marred with a look of mingled annoyance and concern. 

"How did this happen?" Adrian asked Eathelin roughly. Eathelin leveled him with a calm glare, murmuring, "_rogues."_

"What rogues?" Adrian demanded. Abrecan pushed past him, starting to wind a bandage around Eathelin's arm. He signed "back off," but Adrian didn't seem to get the message. 

"_What rogues?" _he repeated, narrowing his eyes. Eathelin scowled. 

"Morwenna. And another I didn't recognize. Now go make yourself useful," she said with a venomous smile. Adrian glared at her before swimming off to tend to Emiyn. 

"Thank you," Eathelin said, flexing her arm and examining the bandages. Abrecan nodded, signing, "you're welcome." Eathelin sighed, picking up her discarded spear from the floor. 

"I must go and speak to Sirina now." She cast a long look toward her brother, a line appearing between her brows. Her white eyes held the same sort of unnerving power Myuna's did, but with far less anger. She quickly swept out of the cave, and Abrecan shook off the momentary distraction, hurrying to Emiyn's side. 

Emiyn's eyes were closed, but his fingernails dug into the rock that held up the bed, his mouth twisted into a grimace. Abrecan looked at Tallulah — one of the colony's best healers — who had her hands over the wound, water slowly circling around them. Myuna had her hands a few inches above Tallulah's, her eyes narrowed and focused. Abrecan looked at Dylana, who watched, grim-faced, as Tallulah pulled her hands back, leaving the wound half-healed. Tallulah looked close to collapsing as she backed away, leaning against the wall. 

Abrecan swam forward, quickly pressing his hands to the cut, his jaw clenched as he took a deep breath, urging his energy toward healing the cut. Gradually, new skin appeared over the cut. Abrecan could feel his energy depleting, and as the last edges of the cut closed up, he backed away, gesturing for Dylana to finish healing Emiyn. 

"Go on back to your cave," Myuna instructed. Abrecan nodded, wearily dragging himself upright before swimming out. 

He curled up on his bed, sighing. Attacks by rogue Sirens had been more and more frequent — one reason he was reluctant to leave with Astoria. The colony needed healers.

_Your parents need you too, _he reminded himself. _There are other Healers here. __You won't be gone forever, if at all. It'll be fine. _

He sighed, closing his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter three: Negotiation

"You want to take him _where?"_

Sirina's voice rang clear through the cave. Her eyes pierced Astoria, who met her gaze evenly, her jaw set in stubborn determination. Abrecan stayed on a stone nearby, watching anxiously as Astoria negotiated with the colony leader.

"I'd like to take him on land for a few days. His parents wish to see him, and the Ministry have some questions for him. I promise I'll return him in one piece."

Sirina eyed her suspiciously. "And how do you plan to bring him on land?"

Abrecan eyed Astoria, awaiting her answer; he had wondered himself how that would work.

Astoria sighed. "I have a potion that will allow him to walk on land as long as necessary. When he wishes to return here, he will need only to drink the antipotion." 

Sirina frowned. "How do I know he will return?"

Astoria sighed. "If he does not, what consequence is that to you?" Abrecan's eyes widened, and he looked at Astoria, a little hurt. 

"He is one of our best healers, and one of the few males in our colony." 

"Are there not other males, and other healers?" Astoria appealed. "He will likely return, and if he does not, it will be of little consequence. He's not a warrior or a builder." 

Abrecan huffed, but Astoria paid him no attention. 

"Maybe he isn't, but he _is _an eligible and highly desired potential mate."

Astoria blinked, evidently caught by surprise. Abrecan shrank back slightly, watching, but Astoria's next words made him gasp.

"He's _my _mate_._"

Sirina stared at her, seeming taken aback; Abrecan stared too.

"Is he? When he arrived here he was far too young to take a mate." Sirina's tone was calm as usual, but her gaze when she looked over at Abrecan seemed to pierce him. 

"We were close at one point," he signed slowly. Sirina frowned, nodding slightly, before turning back to Astoria.

"It is up to him whether he comes with you. If his..._parents _are as ill as you say, I would advise him to go." 

Abrecan looked down, not liking her emphasis on the word 'parents'. but what could be so about it? After all, according to her, the _leader,_ talking (or signing) about life in the '_surface world_' was an _ungrateful_ thing to do. Especially since she so _kindly _and _charitably took in _all these_ strays, _and spent_ her time _and_ her resources _to_ care _for them (never mind the fact that she hardly got _her_ lazy tail off the throne, and it was actually her _mother _who had taken him in) and _really, _Abrecan_, _shouldn't you be in the_ healing cave? _Where you work for _mediocre pay _in the form of 'you're not _dying_ of starvation'?

Maybe it was a good idea to leave. If she'd let him. And if she did, what were the chances he'd be allowed to come back? Unless within a few weeks she'd been suddenly replaced, there was little to no chance. Which was not the ideal situation. Most other colonies and tribes weren't nearly as hospitable — if you could even call it that.

Not that it was bad living there. It was fine when Sirina wasn't around, which was most of the time. And it was a hell of a lot better than living in a pond or something. 

"Abrecan?" 

He jumped, looking over towards Astoria. She might have raised an eyebrow, but it was hard to tell with the bubble over her head.

"We're leaving it up to you," Sirina said coolly. Abrecan fought back his irritation, looking at Sirina. 

"I'll go," he signed. "Will I be able to come back?"

"We'll break that bridge when we come to it. That is the saying, correct?" 

Abrecan tried to tell her it wasn't, but Sirina was no longer paying attention. 

"It is settled," she said, looking at Astoria. "You will take him with you to the surface world?"

Astoria nodded her head. "I will make sure he comes to no harm."

_ I certainly hope you do, _Abrecan thought. 

"Very well. You are dismissed." Sirina waved her hand, and Astoria turned and swam out. Abrecan moved to follow her, but Sirina held up her hand. 

"Wait," she commanded. He turned, looking at her. 

"I allow you to leave on one condition," she said. Abrecan got an unpleasant feeling in his stomach when she said it. 

"Yes?" he signed. 

"To allow a Siren of your age to leave, and then return months afterward...we would need compensation." Sirina sat up straighter on her chair, looking sternly down at Abrecan. He shifted nervously. 

"What kind of compensation?" he signed. 

"Well, the human girl seems like a strong swimmer...and she's clearly intelligent, and attached to you. I doubt she'd object much to staying here...indefinitely."

Abrecan didn't like where this was going. "You want me to bring her back?" 

"Yes," Sirina said, looking at her nails again. "Kyrenia will attend to her afterwards, of course."

Abrecan shuddered, glad Sirina wasn't looking — Kyrenia specialized in drawing as much blood as possible when she turned someone — increasing the chance they'd have minor healing powers. The first time Abrecan had been assigned to assisting the process in the healing cave, he had nearly fainted, which was certainly saying something. 

"Kyrenia?" he signed wearily. 

"Well, if that's the problem we can negotiate later on." Sirina waved a hand dismissively. "Now go find your little girlfriend." She looked up. "There's no need to inform her of our agreement. Just tell her when you're ready to go, and _bring her back."_

Abrecan swallowed hard, nodding. 

"Yes, Your Highness."

He turned and swam out, heading for his quarters. He collected his few belongings in a bag — a creaky, rusted metal jewelry box with a faded design printed on it, a looking-glass that was probably eighty years old, and a fork he'd confiscated from Dalila (she _insisted_ it was a hairstyling tool, though he was fairly certain she knew it wasn't, and that she did it just to annoy him). He'd give that back to her before he left. He then headed out, pausing to look back at his quarters. 

_Well, I wish I could say I'll miss it, _he thought, sighing.


	5. Chapter four: Leaving

A week after their meeting with Sirina, Abrecan went with Assana to the archway, where Astoria sat on a stone, waiting with that day's guards, Waydell and Larina. 

"Do you have all your things?" Assana asked for the _ fifth time. _Abrecan sighed, nodding. 

"Yes, Assana," he signed, rolling his eyes. _Honestly, _he thought, _I'm not a child. I think I can pack for myself. _

"You're completely sure about this?" Assana said, moving to face him. "There's no telling how long you'll be gone. And who knows what could happen?" She laid her hand on his face, looking into his eyes. 

Abrecan sighed, moving her hand. "I'll be fine," he signed. "And I'll come back, I promise."

Assana sighed, pulling him into a tight hug and kissing his forehead. He hugged back, and he could feel her body shaking with sobs. He pulled back, looking up at her. 

"I'll miss you," he signed, his own eyes stinging, though he knew no tears would come out. He pulled away, glancing back at Astoria. 

"Go on," Assana urged. "I'm not going anywhere."

Abrecan nodded, turning and swimming over to Astoria. She smiled softly, pulling her wand from her pocket. "You ready?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the bubble around her head. Abrecan nodded, glancing up anxiously. Far above, he could make out what he thought might be sunlight shining through the water. 

"Alright, follow me." Astoria held out her hand to him. He took it hesitantly, following her as she swam off. 

After about two hours (probably more, really) they arrived in a large, blank stretch of water, not really any different from any of the other large, blank stretches of water they'd passed along the way, but Astoria insisted this was where she'd told her assistant to meet her with the boat. 

She pointed upwards, and Abrecan took that to mean he should look up. Lo and behold, there was indeed a large, dark, probably boat-shaped object at the surface. Astoria swam upwards, and Abrecan followed, trying not to shoot ahead of her. 

They had nearly reached the surface when Astoria turned to him. 

"Just a quick warning, it'll be difficult getting you onto the boat."

_Ah. _Abrecan hadn't thought about that. 

"I could try and Apparate us onto the deck. I don't know if it'll work in the water, but it's worth a try."

Abrecan couldn't think of a better idea, and if he could be wouldn't be able to communicate it to her, so he just shrugged, nodding to show her he agreed. 

_I'm going to regret this, _he thought as Astoria wrapped her arms around him. Then everything blurred together as she twisted sharply; with a loud _snap! _the ocean disappeared; Abrecan felt a horrible squeezing sensation. Then he was lying on a hard surface, blinding light shining in his eyes, gasping for air. His vision blurred, and he heard Astoria say something, sounding panicked; a moment later everything went black. 

* * *

Abrecan woke up in darkness, and for a moment he was worried he'd been blinded, but as his eyes adjusted, slivers of light became visible here and there throughout the room, where presumably there were windows.

Abrecan sighed — Wow._ That feels different, _he thought, bringing a hand up to his neck, where the small slits at the sides were still. Instead, his chest rose and fell with each breath. 

_Well. That's new. _He sighed, waiting for his eyes to adjust completely so he could better see his surroundings; in the dim glow coming from his skin he could see that he was in some sort of bathtub, with water covering him up to his chest. His tail hung over the edge of the tub, the fins furled together as they usually did while he slept. He frowned, splashing a bit of water on them with his hand before slowly unfurling them. 

A knock on a door startled him and he stopped perusing his surroundings for a moment, looking around for the source. A moment later a door opened across the room to his right, and the room was filled with light coming in from the hallway outside. Astoria stood in the doorway, a stack of towels in her hand, balancing what looked like a bottle and a salt shaker on top. 

"Hey," she said, walking over to the side of the tub. "Are you feeling alright? You passed out after we got in deck — too much air and light at once, I suppose."

_ And the fact I'd been suffocating a moment before, _he thought, but just nodded slightly. "Fine," he signed, and Astoria smiled, breathing what sounded like a relieved sigh. 

"Great," she said. "We'll be reaching shore tomorrow morning. I...um...I figure you probably want to take the potion _before _then, so you'll have time to adjust?"

Abrecan nodded, feeling he'd rather not take the potion _at all, _but it seemed there'd be no avoiding it. Astoria sat down, opening the bottle she'd brought with her and picking up the salt shaker and a spoon. She measured out several spoonfuls of salt into the bottle, shook it, and handed it over to Abrecan. "Drink this."

He looked at her, hesitant, before drinking the potion. Aside from a burning on his tongue and watering eyes from the salt, he didn't notice any difference. Then there was a rather unpleasant tingling sensation in his arms, as if someone were running a handful of rough dried grass over the skin.

"It's okay," Astoria said calmly. "That'll stop in a moment." 

Abrecan was about to sign something in reply when a sharp pain struck his hand and arm. He gasped, and Astoria looked at him in alarm. 

"Is it that bad?" she asked, frowning. He nodded slightly, trying to move the arm. He gasped again at the sharp pain, this time all the way to his shoulder, and went through a list in his head of every swear word he knew.

_ "_I'll get you something for the pain," Astoria said, standing. She rushed over to a cabinet on the other side of the room, digging through a mess of bottles until she evidently found what she was looking for <s>\--</s> a tall, thin bottle full of dark blue potion. She brought it over to Abrecan, uncorking it and measuring out a spoonful, which she just about shoved into his mouth. He swallowed the bitter liquid, coughing, and the pain subsided somewhat.

"I'll leave you al—" Astoria was interrupted by a loud_ splash _as Abrecan's tail shifted suddenly, drenching her in water. At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his lower spine (or was it upper tail?), followed by a loud and unpleasant_ crunch. _

"Agh!" he half-exclaimed, half whispered. Astoria rested a hand on his back, as if she thought it might help. Or maybe it was just a startled reflex. He didn't have much time to think on it before his tail started thrashing about, the red scales fading slowly, first to a rainbow of pastels and white — the natural color, if his turning hadn't been so bloody — then to a light pinkish color that matched the irritated skin on the back of his hand. Then the scales faded away, leaving small, stinging crescent-shaped cuts behind on the skin, and there was that pain in his spine again. Abrecan closed his eyes, not really wanting to watch any longer. Then, nearly all at once, it stopped. 

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking away the moisture that had gathered there, looking at Astoria as fatigue washed over him. 

_I'm passing out now, _he signed, though he didn't get to hear a response (not whether she'd even understood) before he did, indeed, pass out. 

__

__


	6. Chapter five: Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for minor (non-graphic) character death in this chapter

Abrecan didn't know what to think.

He had awoken in a bed — a _human _bed — surrounded by navy blue sheets. His whole body either ached or stung, and the bright sunlight filtering through the windows hurt his eyes. His arms shook as he pushed himself to a sitting position, looking around the small, rather blurry wooden-walled room. 

The door across the room swung open, and Astoria walked in, carrying a wicker basket. "Oh, good, you're awake!" she said, setting the basket on the dresser by the door and hurrying to the bedside. "You passed out _just_ before the potion took full effect."

_ I seem to do a lot of passing out lately, _Abrecan thought. 

"Do you feel alright?" Astoria asked, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. Abrecan wondered vaguely whether she'd been sitting there the whole time he was unconscious. That was a bit creepy, if so. He didn't ask. 

"I'm fine," he signed, really feeling anything but_ "fine"_. Disoriented? Yes. In pain? Check. Wishing he could just pass out again? Maybe not, but he was close to it. But he was not going to tell _her _that. Easier to just say he was fine and not discourage her. 

"That's good," she said, laying a hand over his forehead. "You're not feverish anymore, that's _really _good...and your eyes aren't as red anymore. Can you see?"

_ Barely, _he thought, shaking his head. He pointed to the window, from where the sunlight was shining _right on his face. _Astoria nodded, standing and pulling the curtain closed.

"Is that better?"

He nodded, managing a small smile. Astoria's lips spread into a surprised smile, her green eyes creasing at the corners, and she dropped back into the chair. 

"The potion seems to have worked well. At least on the outside," she added. "Two _hopefully _fully-functioning legs, and your lungs ought to work a little better now." 

_Good to know I won't suffocate, then, _Abrecan thought. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing, then froze, drawing a lock of his hair forward, looking at it with wide eyes. He looked around the room, searching frantically for his bag. He found it lying at the end of the bed, and pulled out his looking-glass, ignoring Astoria's bewildered questions as he stated at his reflection. A mess of white curls met him in the mirror, and he was unpleasantly reminded for a moment of Kyrenia — Sirina's second-in-command, and Abrecan's second-least-favorite member of the colony. 

_Gross, _he thought, quickly putting the mirror away. 

"Everything alright?" Astoria asked. 

"I look ridiculous," he signed, gesturing to his hair. Astoria rolled her eyes

"You look fine. Can you walk?"

Abrecan rolled his eyes. "I don't know," he signed. "Haven't exactly tried."

"Alright. Do you _want _to try?" Astoria asked, waving a hand toward where Abrecan _assumed _his legs were. He sighed, nodding, and moved to push the covers aside. 

"Whoa, whoa," Astoria said, holding up a hand. She reached over to the wall, taking a robe off a hook and laying it on the bed before standing up and turning around. "Put that on first."

Abrecan stared at the fluffy yellow abomination in disgust. _She's got to be kidding, _he thought, looking up at Astoria. When she didn't turn around, he sighed, pushing the covers off and pulling the robe on. _Whoever invented clothes, I want them strangled, _he thought. 

"Are you done?" Astoria asked, turning her head a little. Abrecan rolled his eyes, standing unsteadily and walking in front of her. 

"Yes," he signed, feeling more than a little passive-aggressive. "You are ridiculous," he added, pointing to the monstrosity he was wearing. 

"It's perfectly reasonable to want you to wear clothes!" she said, her cheeks pinking. "You can walk alright, then?"

He nodded, though his legs still shook as he tried to keep his balance. Astoria seemed to notice this, and held her arm out to him. He took it hesitantly, leaning on her shoulder just enough that he wasn't falling, and followed her out of the room.

* * *

Abrecan leaned over the side of the boat, eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of land, his hand shielding his eyes from the setting sun. Beside him, Astoria sat on a cushion, quietly reading from a large encyclopedia and occasionally writing something in the little blue notebook she seemed to carry everywhere.

"We won't reach land for a few hours," she said, turning a page in her book. "There's fruit in the sitting area if you're hungry."

Abrecan's stomach growled, seemingly in answer, and a flicker of a smile appeared on Astoria's lips for a moment, before disappearing again as she went back to her reading. Abrecan turned back to the front of the boat, now watching the water ahead, though there was not much to see there either. 

_Was it this boring on the way in? _ he wondered_. Surely not. There were too many sharks for it to be boring..._He shuddered at the memory of one particularly territorial shark he met when he made his way to the Colony for the first time.

He sighed, breathing in the salty air — had he ever really done that? Perhaps once, years ago —and looked up at the sky, his eyes tracing shapes in the pink clouds. That, too, he had almost forgotten — and would have. He smiled a little, looking over at Astoria, still immersed in her book. Suddenly the trip didn't seem so boring anymore, and he felt a rush of gratitude towards her. 

"What're you so happy about?"

Astoria's assistant, a skinny young man she'd introduced as Harvey, leaned against the railing beside Abrecan, a scowl on his freckled face. He looked over at Abrecan, one dark eyebrow raised. Abrecan didn't bother replying, rolling his eyes and looking up at the clouds, which in the red sunlight looked like they could have been painted. Beside him, he heard Harvey scoff, and a moment later he had walked off again.

"Don't mind him," Astoria said, and Abrecan saw from the corner of his eye that she waved her hand towards Harvey. "He's jealous. He didn't think you'd actually come back with me."

Abrecan nodded, settling back down onto the railing, looking out into the slowly darkening sky. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed, the quiet sound of the waves soothing him to sleep.

* * *

Raidne growled as she swept through the village. She called Morwenna off when she snarled at a young male — no more than three years old, probably. His mother jerked him closer, fear written on her face. 

"Leave them," Raidne snapped to Morwenna. "They're of no consequence to us." Morwenna scowled, but obeyed, following Raidne through the square.

Raidne pushed past the guards, into the throne room. Morwenna stayed at the entrance, _keeping the guards at bay, _which was an awfully fancy way to say 'giving them a nosebleed'. Raidne rolled her eyes, swimming to the center of the throne room, where the colony's leader sat, her chin tilted up as she looked down her long nose at Raidne. 

"Sirina," Raidne said through her teeth, her grip tightening on the knife in her hand. "Where are the human girl and your healer?" 

Sirina looked her up and down and coolly responded, "I've no idea." 

"_Don't lie to me!_" Raidne snarled. "I know you've sent them somewhere. _Where is it?"_

Sirina raised a brow. "I truly do not know. I simply know they were bound for land. They did not say where."

Raidne growled, enraged. She raised her knife, levelling it with the other Siren's throat. Morwenna chose that moment to appear at Raidne's side, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Sirina's cool expression dropped.

"Morwenna!" she gasped in horror. 

"Yeah?" Morwenna said casually, grinning. 

"You were forbidden from returning!" Sirina's gold eyes seemed to spark, her nostrils flared.

"Well, yeah," Morwenna said. "But you said 'long as you're alive'. Reckon that won't be a lot longer. I was just helping Raidne here learn her way 'round. Seein' as she'll haave to know these things as leader."

Sirina's hateful glare toward Morwenna didn't seem to faze her one bit. Raidne dug her knifepoint further into Sirina's neck. "Tell me where the human girl took your healer — Abrecan, wasn't it, Morwenna?" 

The redhead nodded, spitting. "He'ss the one who snitched on me in the med cave. Stupid little bugger..."

Raidne looked at Sirina. "Where are they?" 

Sirina held her gaze, sparks popping on her metal armor.

"You won't find them."

Raidne smirked. "Wrong answer." She swiped with her knife, leaving a tiny cut on Sirina's neck. The older Siren stared, bewildered, her hand coming up to the cut. 

"You know what to do, Morwenna," Raidne said as she swept out of the throne room; the choking screams that echoed through the caverns like music to her ears.


	7. Chapter six: Settling

Abrecan found himself settling in easily at Astoria's house while they waited for the Ministry of Magic to get in contact about interviewing him for information, and about reinstating Abrecan's status as 'alive ' (which apparently, was necessary for visitors to St. Mungo's Hospital), and he found it was quite a nice, cozy place to live. Sure, the cat liked him a little too much (evidenced by her habit of sneaking into his bed at night and trying to "share" his food at dinner), and the houseplants made him sneeze, but the weather, at least, was nice. And there was plenty of space to wander in the woods around Astoria's house — something he had enjoyed doing when he was young, and one thing he had missed after he had left. 

On this occasion, however, Astoria had deemed it too wet and rainy for him to go out, so he settled with curling up at the window seat and attempting to read a book he'd found in his room. 

_'After the potion has turned a light shade of gold, it is time to add the luna moth's wings. It is important to use only an infi'— _He paused, frowning at the word and trying to sound it out. _In-fini-tesimal? What the hell does that mean?_

"Abrecan?"

He looked up, startled, and closed his book. "Yes?" he signed, watching Astoria apprehensively. 

"I was wondering — and it's ok to say no," she added quickly, "if you would be alright with sometimes using your human name. Just sometimes so you'll be used to it. That way your parents won't be..."

"Disoriented?" Abrecan supplied. "I'm fine with it."

Astoria smiled, looking relieved. "Okay. Will you help me get dinner ready, _Draco?"_

"Don't overdo it, " he signed, standing. "Twice a day, alright?"

Astoria nodded. "Alright. Got it."

"Good. Now, dinner?" 

* * *

__Around a week after her arrival home, Astoria received an owl from her Department at the Ministry of Magic early one morning requesting an interview with Abrecan to aid in their research on the Atlantic Colony. Abrecan didn't exactly jump at the opportunity, but he was relieved to be getting out of the house. 

On the morning of the interview, Abrecan woke to green eyes and freckles an inch from his face, and his heart skipped a beat. 

"Astoria?" he tried to say, but all he managed was a hoarse, rough whisper, barely audible. Astoria's eyes widened. 

"You said something!" she exclaimed, smiling. "Were you able to do that before?"

Abrecan shook his head, still wondering why Astoria was in his bed. Not that he minded, if course, but he'd still like to know. 

"You need to get up," Astoria said. "I owled the Ministry a little while ago to confirm the interview this afternoon."

Abrecan nodded, rubbing his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, and almost instantly got it caught among tangles. 

"Come on," Astoria said, helping him extricate his hand. "I'll help you fix your hair." She pulled him out of bed before he could protest, dragging him to the bathroom. 

* * *

Fixing Abrecan's hair turned out to involve a long, awkward and uncomfortable shower (requiring lots of assistance just to _wash_ his hair), several minutes of wrestling with a comb, and finally Astoria giving up and dousing his head in Sleekeazy's hair potion. After that was done she pulled it back and braided it. 

"I'll have to get some more of that potion whenever I get to Diagon Alley," Astoria muttered as she rummaged through a chest full of clothes. Abrecan sat on the bed, wrapped in a towel and watching, looking as though he regretted being alive.

"I know these robes are in here somewhere...Aha!" She emerged, triumphant and covered in dust (_so much for that shower, _she thought), holding a balled-up set of black robes. Astoria tossed them onto the bed, looking at Abrecan. "You can get changed."

"Thanks," he signed, not looking overly enthusiastic about the idea. "Do I have to?"

"Would you rather walk into the Ministry naked?" Astoria retorted. Abrecan looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yes."

Astoria sighed. "Would you like it better if I put a feather-light charm on the robes?" 

Abrecan seemed to consider for a few seconds before shaking his head, sitting down and adjusting the towel around his waist. 

"You are _such _a child..." Astoria muttered in exasperation. She picked up the robes. "Would you just put these on? I'm not taking you to the Ministry unless you out them on."

"Then we're not going to the Ministry," Abrecan signed. "I'm not wearing them."

Astoria raised a brow. "Then you're not going to see your parents either." Abrecan gaped at her in disbelief. She shrugged, sighing dramatically. "Oh, well. I suppose I'll have to..." she picked up the robes, leaning towards the window. 

Abrecan scowled, snatching the robes from her hand and jerking them on. 

"I'll be taking another shower," Astoria muttered, walking out. 

* * *

Abrecan gritted his teeth, pulling the rough, heavy robes on. The fabric itched, and it felt like someone was sitting on his shoulders. _How does she expect me to _walk _in this?_

"Abrecan, breakfast is ready!" Astoria called from outside the room. Abrecan rolled his eyes, opening the door. 

"Good, you're dressed," Astoria said, as if she hadn't _just_ offered him a damn _ultimatum_ to _make_ him get dressed. _She _wasn't dressed, her dark red dressing gown clashing with her lavender slippers. "We have to be at the Ministry in an hour." 

Abrecan nodded, rolling his eyes and sighing. He walked out of the room, closing the last few buttons on the robes. Astoria gave a sigh of exasperation, and he knew she had spotted his bare feet.

* * *

"Eat, Draco," Astoria urged, her mouth full of rice, nodding toward his own barely touched bowl of rice. Abrecan sighed, eating quickly and standing when he was finished. Astoria stood too, leaving half of her rice uneaten. She looked at Abrecan. 

"Shall we go?" she asked, offering her hand. He took it, and half a moment later he was experiencing the familiar, yet no less unpleasant, squeezing sensation that came with Apparition. He held onto Astoria's hand for a while after they arrived at their destination, keeping his eyes shut tightly and simply trying not to be sick. Astoria sighed, patting his back in what was probably meant to be a comforting gesture. 

When his stomach finally stopped turning backflips, Astoria squeezed his hand and led him out of the alley they'd Apparated into. She walked him across the street to the phone booth on the corner, pulling him inside. 

It was a bit cramped for two, but Astoria didn't seem to mind as she fiddled with the buttons on the wall. 

"I haven't used this way in a while," she said sheepishly, pressing some more buttons. "I can't remember...is it 62242 or 62442? Or — it might be 64244? How many twos?"

She tried a few more combinations before she got it right — it was indeed 62442, which Abrecan could have told her if she'd been paying attention — he remembered vaguely coming through this way with his father when he was very young. He couldn't remember why his father had brought him along, or what business he had been there upon —

"Please state your name and business," a voice said from no identifiable source. Abrecan flinched, but Astoria was quite calm as she replied, "Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy. We're here for an informative interview with the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

There was a clattering sound as a small slot spat out two metal badges; Astoria handed Abrecan his, and he paused to read it before pinning it to the breast of his robes;

**Draco Malfoy**

**Informative interview**

**DRCMC**

The booth began moving downwards, and Abrecan grabbed onto Astoria's sleeve. She gave him a small smile, patting his arm, and when the lift stopped she opened the door, leading him across the crowded Atrium. 

Abrecan tried not to look around too much. It would only make him feel more nervous and intimidated than he already was, so he focused instead on following Astoria and ignoring the stares he was receiving. 

She stopped in front of a desk, where a redheaded wizard who looked_ oddly _familiar stood beside what Abrecan vaguely recognized as a wand weigher. 

"Astoria," the wizard said, a crooked grin on his face. 

"Ron," Astoria returned politely, and Abrecan did a double take. 

_Ron? As in Ronald Weasley? How did he get a job at the Ministry? _Draco thought._ Well, I suppose if his father could...._

"Bloody hell," Weasley muttered to Astoria. "That's not _Malfoy, _is it?"

"Yes," Astoria said stiffly. Abrecan made a point to look anywhere except at Weasley, who was openly staring at him. 

"You found him, then?" Weasley said. He sounded astonished. 

"Well, it's not like it was hard," Astoria said. "I could've found him a lot sooner if my Head of Department would've given me the security clearance for it." 

"Well, yeah," Weasley said, "but that's still wild. I mean, _Malfoy... "_

Astoria nodded patiently. "So, you're on security desk this week?" she asked, clearly trying to change the subject. Weasley grinned ruefully.

"Yeah," he said. "They're training a new batch. My strategies were, in Robards's words, 'a bit too much for the first-timers'."

Astoria chuckled. "Who've they got on strategy now?" 

"Harry." Weasley pulled a face. Abrecan hardly noticed Astoria laughing, his mind racing. 

_My god, Potter's here too? How the...? Who hired these people? Don't you need at least four years of training to become an Auror?_

"Well, it's been lovely catching up, but I have to get Draco back to the Department." Astoria grabbed Abrecan's arm, jerking him out of his disturbed thoughts. She pulled him through a doorway at the end of the Atrium, into a lift that was halfway full. 

"Weasley?" Abrecan signed to Astoria after the lift started moving. She looked at him, raising a brow. 

"Yes? What about him?" 

"He works here. Why?"

Astoria sighed. "It's a long story, Abrecan. I'll tell you later."

The lift _clunk-_ed to a stop, a cool female voice saying, "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." 

Astoria pulled Abrecan out of the lift by the sleeve, leading him down a corridor, past a wizard holding an abnormally large poodle and a pair of teenage witches — both with badly singed hair and clothes — arguing loudly. 

"I tell you, I didn't know! I thought it was a lizard!" one girl said indignantly.

"It had _wings,_ Bethany! It was breathing _fire!"_ the other said in exasperation. Astoria rolled her eyes as she walked past, but Abrecan bit his lip to keep from smiling. 

He followed Astoria to a door at the end of the hall; on it was a plaque that read '**Head of Department - Beast Division'**. Under that was a smaller nameplate reading '_Charlotte F. Helmsworth_'. Astoria's mouth twisted as though she had eaten something sour, but the expression dropped when the door swung open, revealing a very stern-looking witch in pristine peach-colored robes. 

"Miss Greengrass," she said, looking down her long nose at Astoria. 

"Madam Helmsworth," Astoria returned politely, looking as though she would rather eat glass. Abrecan had the _strangest_ feeling that the two witches didn't like each other very much. 

"I see you've brought someone along," Madam Helmsworth said, eyeing Abrecan up and down. He stepped back, looking to Astoria. 

"Madam Helmsworth, this is Draco Malfoy — though he prefers to be called Abrecan. Abrecan, this is Madam Charlotte Helmsworth, my..."

"Boss," Madam Helmsworth said with a tight smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Draco." 

Abrecan nodded, signing, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Madam Helmsworth's brows raised, and she looked at Astoria. 

"Can he not speak?" she asked quietly. Abrecan rolled his eyes. He couldn't _speak. _His_ hearing _was fine. 

"We're working on it," Astoria replied. "He finds it easier to use sign language at the moment."

"I see. Follow me," Madam Helmsworth said, turning and walking into her office. Astoria and Abrecan followed; then Abrecan stopped short just inside the doorway, staring around at the walls. 

Long shelves lined the walls, on which sat what Abrecan could only assume were relics from Madam Helmsworth's career. A certificate on the wall behind her desk informed him that she was the former executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Beside the certificate, on a wooden plate, was mounted the head of an Occamy. In fact, as Abrecan looked around, it became incredibly apparent that Charlotte F. Helmsworth enjoyed collecting the severed heads — or other body parts — of various magical creatures. He shuddered when he saw what looked like a human spinal column in a stand — one with a long, faded blue fin attached at the back.

He flinched when he felt a hand in his, but calmed when he realized it was Astoria. She gave him an apologetic grimace before looking forward again. He squeezed her hand, looking down at the floor. 

"Have a seat," Madam Helmsworth said. Abrecan looked up and saw she'd conjured two chairs in front of her desk. He gratefully sat down, his hand still entwined with Astoria's. 

"So, Draco. Astoria has told me a lot about you." Upon seeing Abrecan's blush she chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. It was all very professional."

This did not help. Astoria's tendency to overshare could not have disappeared _that_ quickly. 

"She tells me you may have information on our Siren, Raidne?" She looked at Draco, raising a brow. "We have been trying to apprehend her for some time, but we have little to go on. We had hoped that someone who was close to her could....shed some light on the subject, and also perhaps give us a bit of insight into the workings of the Atlantic Colony? We have very little information on its systems and inhabitants."

Abrecan sighed, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be."

Madam Helmsworth looked at Astoria, who repeated it out loud to her.

"That's alright. Just tell us what you know," Madam Helmsworth said. "To make this easier.." She flicked her wand, and floating letters appeared above Abrecan's head, spelling out the sentence he had just signed. Madam Helmsworth looked satisfied, folding her hands on the desk.

"I don't have any realinformation on Raidne," he signed, hoping he looked apologetic. "I haven't seen or heard anything from her since I was turned."

Madam Helmsworth frowned. "Do you have any useful information about the Colony, then?"

Abrecan bit his lip. "What kind of information?"

"General habits. Diet, sleep cycles and the like. Abilities." Madam Helmsworth pulled open a drawer in her side of the desk, withdrawing a roll of parchment. "The questions are all there. You may fill them out at your leisure, and owl them to Hermione Granger in the reception office."

Abrecan looked at Astoria, bewildered. He was going to have a _lot_ of questions for her when they got out of here.

Astoria smiled a little, looking at Madam Helmsworth.

"Anything else, Madam?"

"No, not today. We will owl you as soon as we get in contact with the Beings about getting him a 'living' I.D. Thank you both for coming in today." 

Abrecan nodded, standing with Astoria and following her out of the office. He signed "It was nice meeting you" to Madam Helmsworth on the way out, even though in his opinion it could have been nicer. 

Astoria led him back through the Atrium, waving goodbye to Weasley as she walked to the exit. As soon as they left the phone booth, back on the surface, she pulled him into an alley and Disapparated, holding tightly to his hand.


	8. Chapter seven: Waiting

A few days. That was how long Astoria said they had before he could visit his parents. The Ministry still hadn't contacted her about restoring his living status — apparently they needed evidence in the form of a blood test. 

During the days as they waited, Astoria filled Abrecan in on all that had happened since he'd left — including what had happened to his parents.

He had listened without interrupting as she explained how his parents had been discovered helping the _other side _— the Order of the Phoenix — and had paid the price for it. They had been tortured, and then cursed with a spell that slowly broke down the body with every use of magic — turning the user's own magic against them. After the war was over (apparently there had been a war) his parents had returned to the Manor, under supervision of a Healer — only in the past year had they been moved to a branch of St. Mungo's after their condition changed for the worse with a bout of Dragon Pox. 

Astoria filled him in as well on their old school mates; Pansy Parkinson had married a Wizard from France and now ran a chain of stores selling Love potions — "Love _enhancement _potions," Astoria said. "They only amplify what's already there. That's what Pansy says, anyway." 

Theodore Nott had married Astoria's sister Daphne, and they were currently on their honeymoon in Belize. Distressingly, Goyle was in jail, and even more distressing, Crabbe had died died during the War, running astray of his own Fiendfyre curse. Abrecan liked to think he took the news well; He'd only cried a little, and mostly because Astoria's cat, Lulu, had scratched him. 

Astoria had kept Abrecan busy with housework and the like, and was trying to teach him how to cook — the success of which depended on whether or not you had lived on seaweed and fish for five years.

In his spare time, Abrecan stayed in Astoria's home office, filling out sheets of parchment with answers to all the questions Madam Helmsworth had given him, the subjects ranging from common ailments to mating customs to sleep cycles. Astoria helped, and between the two of them they had worked through half the 200-question lost within four days. 

Astoria, meanwhile, was working on a potion that was supposed to help with his voice, as he had yet to see much improvement; his voice still sounded like three cheese graters being tossed into a blender (a highly unpleasant combination), and he could barely manage a word or two before it faded out entirely. 

"Just try one more time," Astoria insisted when he signed that he wanted to take a break from speaking. "I've finished the potion, I just need you to try—"

"No," he signed, standing. "Tomorrow."

"You're supposed to be at the Ministry tomorrow," she argued. "There won't be time."

"Then the day after. Not today."

"We're visiting your parents then, and I want to make sure this potion works _now. _You _want _to be able to talk with them, right?"

Abrecan scowled, making a gesture she wouldn't have to know sign language to understand. 

"Fine," he rasped, sinking back into his seat. He took the potion Astoria offered him, swallowing it with a grimace; it tasted like someone had haphazardly tossed vinegar, honey, lemon and feathers together in a blender before dumping it all in a cauldron full of crickets and frogspawn — which was exactly what Astoria had done, of course, though she tried to deny it. 

"Try saying something now," Astoria prompted, looking far too cheerful. Abrecan cleared his throat, glaring at her. 

"How long does this last?" he asked. His voice was still hoarse, but the words were at least distinguishable, even if his voice was a little deeper than it had been since he had last spoken, though this hardly surprised him — he had been fifteen after all. 

Astoria's face split into a wide grin. "Twelve hours. And now I've got the formula down, it'll be easy to make more."

Abrecan started to sign something in reply, but made himself keep his hands still. "Will it stay this hoarse?" 

Astoria looked thoughtful. "It's hard to tell, but it should get better the more you use it." 

He nodded, running a hand through his hair and looking around the room.

"Okay. That's good."

"After a couple of days you should be fine without the potion, though I'll make a stock just in case, and you should try not to strain your voice, or it could go permanently and you'll need surgery."

He looked at her, wide-eyed. "Surgery?" he asked, alarmed; the word was foreign, but it seemed like he had heard it a long time ago, and had a vague knowledge of its meaning — an operation. He managed to keep himself from shuddering. 

"I'm afraid so. My assistant — Shannon, not Harvey, you haven't met her — she had a case similar to this a while back, a freshwater Siren they'd rescued from a circus, where they kept her in saltwater. She wound up having surgery in her throat." Astoria looked grave as she spoke, and Abrecan felt sick. 

"I'll try not to do that, then," he said, looking away. Astoria fell silent.

* * *

Raidne laid across Sirina's throne, scowling as she tried to look through Draco's eyes. The connection hadn't worked in years, but she hoped that now he was back on land it could be reestablished. However, the only thing she could see was a furry grey face. She growled in frustration, digging her nails into the arm of the throne. 

"How's it going?" Morwenna asked, sweeping into the throne room, her sharp teeth bared in an infuriating grin. Raidne glared at her. 

"Shouldn't you be _dealing_ _with_ _something?"_ she shot back, eyes narrowed. 

"Oh, _that_. Don't worry, I already took care of it. Turns out, makin' someone bleed out through their nose stops a riot pretty quick." Morwenna grinned wickedly. 

"You didn't kill any of the males, did you?" Raidne asked. It didn't matter much to her yet, but once she had established her rule she needed enough mates to go around. That was one way to gain control of a mer population; threaten their means of reproduction. _Only_ _threaten_, not kill outright. 

"O' _course_ not," Morwenna scoffed. "I'm not _stupid_. It was just some low-ranker, already had about five kids...Her husband didn't even look too upset to see 'er gone."

Raidne scoffed. "Alright..." She sighed, pushing off the throne. The fin on her spine twinged when she moved, from where a guard had sliced a piece off. Morwenna had gotten rid of _ her _easily enough, but it had been difficult getting a healer to patch it up, even with Morwenna's..._persuasive_ abilities. 

"What's on the agenda, then?" Morwenna asked, clapping her hands together. Raidne glared at her. 

"I have to figure out where _he_ is."

" '_He_' meanin' your _loverboy,_" Morwenna said smugly. Raidne growled. Morwenna grinned. "You owe me first dibs whenever we find 'im."

Raidne rolled her eyes. "First dibs for what?" 

"Smackin' 'im about a bit, of course. He deserves it," she added when Raidne scowled. "I won't kill him, or damage anything important." 

"I'm not sure I believe that," Raidne snapped. "You get overzealous easily. I wouldn't trust _you_ with my mate any more than I'd trust a wolf to guard a herd of sheep." 

"Slow down. He's not _your_ mate yet." Morwenna's sharp teeth gnashed as she spoke. "And he might not be at all."

"_I_ turned him, he's _mine_ by right," Raidne snapped. "Now get back to work before more of them escape."

"Yes, _Your Majesty," _Morwenna spat, turning and leaving as quickly as she had entered. 

Raidne sighed, sinking back onto the throne. She closed her eyes, focusing hard again, but again, she was rewarded with nothing. 

_I'm just out of practice, _she decided. _I'll get the hang of it. _She ran a finger along the rough-carved armrest, gazing around the throne room. 

"Morwenna!" she barked. "Bring me a prisoner."

* * *

Abrecan sat on the floor in Astoria's bedroom in front of her stand mirror. Astoria sat behind him, watching him run his hands through his hair while she brushed it. His eyes flickered around the mirror, scanning the reflection of the room behind him. His expression reminded Astoria more than a little of Luna Lovegood, though she refrained from mentioning this to Abrecan. 

After a time she had finished brushing the tangles from his waist-long hair, and moved to his side. She began braiding around his head in a crown. He sat still, his shoulders tense as he tried not to move his head. 

Astoria hummed quietly, quickly getting lost in the movement of her hands; she almost forgot Abrecan was there until he flinched when she tugged a little too hard. 

"Sorry," she said quickly, grimacing. He shrugged, his grey eyes now focused on Astoria's reflection in the mirror. She looked down before he could see her face turn red.

At length she finished the braid, pinning the end in place and standing up. Abrecan stood, too, studying his reflection closely and running his hand over the braid. 

"What do you think? Looks good?" Astoria asked, raising a brow. He nodded, lowering his hand and turning quickly away from the mirror. 

"Yes, thank you," he said, before covering his mouth and yawning. Astoria chuckled quietly. 

"Tired?" she asked. He nodded, signing, "Very." She smiled softly, taking his hand and pulling him out of the room. 

"Go and get some rest," she said. "Big day tomorrow, and then once that's over you can visit your parents." Astoria didn't miss the excitement that flashed in his eyes as she mentioned it. 

"I'll try and get some sleep, then," he said, smiling; Astoria smiled back, ignoring the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. It was hard to believe this was the same boy she'd been so in love with all the years ago, but sometimes it was all too easy — his smile had hardly changed — well, with the exception of some rather pointed teeth in the mix.

She noticed Abrecan looking at her quizzically, and realized she'd been staring. She looked away, her face on fire, and shook her head. 

_He's not the same, _she reminded herself sternly. _And your pathetic little crush is going to interfere with your work. Just drop it._

"Goodnight," she said stiffly, turning away. 

"Goodnight," Abrecan replied, sounding puzzled. "Sleep well."

"Yeah, you too." Astoria hurried off down the hall to her room, shutting the door quickly and sitting down on the bed. 

She got very little sleep that night, finishing up the remaining paperwork for Abrecan's request form. Finally, she curled up at the end of the bed, her quill snapping in her hand as she clutched it in her sleep.


	9. Chapter eight: Confrontation

_ _

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _

Draco sat in the living room, tapping his fingers on the table. His gaze lingered on the grandfather clock across the room, which seemed to be _stubbornly_ going slower than Draco would like, simply to spite him. Draco had tried reading a book to pass the time, and going back to sleep, but the book was just too damn long and _boring_ and he didn't understand half the words in there and _no way_ was he reading the glossary, it's _6:__00 in the morning! _And sleeping had proved impossible with the light shining in the windows.

So he had sat. And sat. And sat, waiting for Astoria to get up. Lulu had sat on his lap for a while, but she seemed to get bored after a while and wandered off. She seemed to like him less now he could talk, which was fine by him. He didn't like cats anyway. 

While he waited, he had been tryingto get himself used to calling himself by his human name — which was easier when Astoria wasn't around, saying it as though it might hurt his feelings or something. Really, he'd have preferred if she'd just called him that as soon as they had left the Colony. 

Just when he was considering getting up and dragging Astoria out of bed himself, the front door swung open, and Astoria walked in, carrying several stacked cardboard boxes, wet leaves and seeds stuck in her messy hair. 

"Good morning!" she called cheerfully, setting the boxes on the table with a _thud. _"Did you sleep well?" 

"Um — yeah. Morning," Draco said, staring at her. "How long have you been _awake?"_

"Couple hours," Astoria said casually, examining her reflection in the window. "I wanted to clean up the pond. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No. I was waiting for you to get up."

"Oh? How long have you been up?" Astoria looked at him.

"Half an hour." Draco tapped his fingers on the table. "What time are you planning on leaving?"

"Leaving?" Astoria asked, looking puzzled, before realization seemed to hit her. "Oh! To see your parents! We can go as soon as we're done with breakfast, if you want. And I've got another dose of potion for you to take, last night's will be wearing off before long."

Draco nodded. "Do you want me to make breakfast?" 

Astoria grimaced. "Maybe you ought to leave that to me...Remember last night?" 

Draco rolled his eyes._ I only burnt one_ _of the lasagnas, _he thought. He sighed. "Whatever you say, Astoria..."

"Good. Now, go get dressed! And comb your hair, it looks like you're hiding a best of squirrels..."

He sighed, standing. _Was she this bossy before? _he wondered as he headed upstairs. _Surely not...it's probably stress, _he decided. _Yeah, stress will do that._

* * *

The reception area at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries seemed no different than when Draco had first been there five years before, although it seemed like the reception witch hadn't been nearly so polite then. Then again, he had been an ass of a teenager, so he'd probably deserved it.

Astoria led him up the flights of stairs, ignoring the portraits lining the walls that seemed to exist to hand out insults and dubious medical advice. 

She stopped at the ninth door in the corridor, and knocked. A Healer in headache-inducing lime green robes opened it, and escorted them over to a curtained-off area of the room.

Draco froze as Astoria was leading him through the curtains, pausing with his hand on the edge of the curtain. 

"You okay?" Astoria asked, her gaze flicking between his hand and his face. He swallowed, nodding. 

"You sure? We can wait, if you want."

"No, it's fine. Let's just go." He held the curtain aside for her to pass through, then stepped through behind her; however, he froze again when he spotted his mother. 

She looked thin, thinner than the last time he had seen her. She was reading, her white-gold hair (perhaps a little whiter than when he'd last seen her) twisted in a crown around her head. She took a moment to bookmark the place in her book before looking up, a moment Draco took to gather himself. 

"Mum?" 

Draco's already hoarse voice nearly cracked as he spoke, sitting beside his mother's bed, still looking wide-eyed into the tired, familiar face. She looked up, her mouth falling open in a gasp. 

"Draco?" she whispered, reaching out; she cupped his face in her hand, her eyes filling with tears. "Astoria said you were coming, that she was bringing you back...it's been so long..."

"I'm sorry, Mother," he said, his own eyes stinging. "I shouldn't have left at all, I— I didn't know this would happen. Raidne —" he noticed his mother flinch at the mention of the Siren. "She would have found me. She would have hurt you and Dad."

His mother sighed, a sad smile on her face. "You're here now. Better you weren't here for the War, anyway." 

Draco nodded slightly, despite the guilt still gnawing at him. "How's Dad?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. Narcissa's smile faded. 

"He's improved since we heard you were coming, but the healers don't think..." She paused, brushing away more tears that had brimmed up in her eyes. "They don't think it will last."

Draco nodded, glancing at the empty bed beside his mother's before looking back at her. "How are you?" 

She managed a smile — One that seemed genuine. "Better, now that you're back." She took her hand off his face, her gaze traveling to his hair. "My, your hair's gotten long...and curly," she remarked, running her hand through his hair. "It was always so curly when you were a baby...It suits you."

Draco smiled a little, though he could feel his face growing warm. He couldn't help glancing at Astoria; Did _she _think it suited him?

"Astoria mentioned in her letters that you worked in healing?" his mother asked, drawing his attention back, and he brushed away the stray thought. 

"Yes," he answered. "It turns out being...er..._turned, _with a lot of blood involved...can give you healing powers," he explained. 

"Really?" she said, her brows raised in interest. "Do you know if you can still do magic?"

Draco frowned, his mother's question giving him pause; _Could _he? He hadn't tried out any magic. He didn't even know where his wand might be.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "I haven't tried any. I don't even know if my healing works out of water..."

"Theoretically it should," Astoria said, choosing now to enter the conversation. "As long as your hands are wet when placed over the affected area, it should work still. I saw similar powers with members of the Caribbean Sea Clans," she added when Draco looked at her questioningly. 

"I never thought of that," he said, frowning. "I'll have to try it."

"Well, it's good you found something to do," his mother said, running a hand through His hair. "You always liked to be doing something with your time..."

"Where's father?" Draco asked, looking around. 

"They're doing some treatments, but he should be back any minute." She looked up towards the door, sighing. "I think seeing you will do him good."

Draco nodded, glancing back at the door.

They talked for some time, until the door creaked open; Draco looked up as a Healer escorted his father into the room, and a silence fell on those in the room; Without a word, Lucius crossed the room, pulling Draco into a surprisingly tight embrace. Draco stared at him in surprise; he couldn't remember his father ever _ hugging _him before. He wasn't sure how he felt about it now. 

"Dad," he said quietly, finding his voice hoarser than before. He pulled away, looking at his father — seeing him up close, he looked far older than Draco remembered, his white-blond hair showing lines of silver. 

"Draco. You've grown." The corners of Lucius's eyes crinkled slightly — not _quite _a smile. Draco smiled a little bit, not sure what to say. 

"Not the small talk, Lucius, neither of you have ever been good at that," Narcissa said. "Both of you sit down."

Draco looked at his father, who nodded, striding across the room, pausing by Narcissa's bed to kiss her hand before settling into a chair at her bedside. Draco sat in the chair beside his father's, pushing his hair out of his face and looking at Astoria, who smiled a little, standing up. 

"I'm going to get some tea, be back in a bit." She walked out, waving a hand. Draco sighed. 

"So, Draco, what are your plans now that you're back?" his father asked, drawing his attention back. 

"Oh. Um...I suppose I'm staying with Astoria for now," he said, shrugging. "If I end up staying longer, I'll probably move into the Manor."

His parents stared at him, and he realized his mistake moments before his mother spoke. 

"..._If _you stay?" she said incredulously. He bit his lip, nodding sheepishly. 

"Well...yes." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I...I had planned to go back to the colony after..."

"After...?" Lucius said, frowning. "After what, Draco?"

Draco stammered. "I - I don't know. The leader — she wanted me to go back after a few months..." 

"A few months?" His mother frowned. "Draco, you've been gone for years!"

"I— I know."

"And you're just going to leave again?" 

"I don't know, Mum," he answered. "I don't know how long I _can_ stay. Astoria's potion could wear off, or something might come up. I...I have responsibilities there." 

"You have responsibilities _here," _his father said. "You are our son, and our only heir." 

Draco looked at him. "Your _heir? _And what am I supposed to do, exactly? Continue the family line? With whom?" He frowned. "What self-respecting pureblood wants a half-breed Death Eater with a fourth-year education, Father?" 

His father frowned. "Draco—" He cleared his throat, starting to speak, but seemed to think better of it. Draco looked at the both of them, sighing.

"I didn't mean to —" 

At that moment, a sharp pain struck his head; the image of a dark space filled with water flashed in his head. He gasped, clutching his head as an ache built up behind his eyes. 

"Draco?" his mother said, alarmed. "Are you alright?" 

"Fine. Just a headache," he lied. "I'll be fine." His mother nodded, looking unconvinced but not pushing the subject. 

_What_ _was that? _he thought, running a hand through his hair. _Was....No. It can't be. It isn't her._

_Is it?_


	10. Chapter nine: Called

Astoria came back from the tearoom, looking disheveled. Draco raised a brow at her appearance, but his parents didn't look concerned. Draco did notice a bandage around her forearm that hadn't been there that morning, and she did seem rather paler than usual. Seeming to notice his look, she shook her head, mouthing, _'not now'._ Or maybe _'hot cow,' _but that made less sense. 

"Everything okay in here?" she asked. Draco looked at his parents, nodding. 

"Fine," he said, ignoring the ache in his head. His mother, however, wasn't having it. 

"Draco, you should go home and rest if your head's hurting. Your father needs to rest anyway," she said. "You can come again some other time."

He sighed. "Are you sure, Mum?"

"Of course I'm sure, now _go," _she said firmly, pushing his shoulder. "We'll be fine."

He sighed, standing. "Alright. I'll be back soon, though."

Astoria wrapped her arms around his shoulders and they walked out of the ward, Apparating back to Astoria's house as soon as they were back to the lobby. 

* * *

"So, Abrecan —"

"It's Draco," Draco signed tiredly. Astoria was sitting in the living room with him, watching what the Muggle at the store had called a "movie" — this one apparently about a lot of resurrected prehistoric dragon-like creatures wreaking havoc on the idiots who resurrected them. It was rather stupid, but entertaining. 

"Right, Draco." Astoria sighed. "I...I heard you talking to your parents earlier." 

He tensed. "And?" he signed. "Pass me the popcorn, please," he added — Astoria sensed an attempt to change the subject. He reached across the middle cushion of the couch for the bowl in Astoria's lap; she pulled it out of his reach. 

"You're going to get sick," she said. "Are you really just going to leave them?" 

He sighed. "Can this wait? I'm tired," he signed. "I'm still thinking."

"You can't just leave, Draco." Astoria turned off the movie, fixing him with what she hopes was a hard stare. "Your parents are sick — what's your mum gonna do without you? Your dad is _dying."_

"Astoria, can you stop?" he snapped out loud. "I never said for sure I was leaving." 

"The fact you're even still _considering_ it —" Astoria scoffed. "Why don't you think of someone other than yourself for once?" 

Draco's eyes narrowed in anger. "That's all I've done for five years, take care of other people! I had responsibility dumped on me when I was fifteen. I wasn't allowed to make my own choices, it was all decided, I _had _to be a Healer, and then when I came of age I _had _to choose a mate —"

"And you wanna go back to that?" She stared at him, disgusted. _Why?_

"I'd like the freedom to think about it." He glared at her. "I'm saying that for the first time in years I have agency, the ability to think for myself, and you're _still _trying to tell me I'm wrong for doing that!" 

"Because you're talking about _abandoning _your family! Again!" She scowled. "Abandoning _me _again!"

Draco, who had been about to speak, just stopped and stared at her, looking hurt. 

"Again?"

She froze, her eyes widening. _Damn it, did I say that?_

"Draco, I — you know I didn't —"

"I heard what you said, Astoria," he shot back aggressively. "Loud and clear."

"You know that isn't what I meant!" she said, desperately trying to backtrack before he got angry. "I just — you left! You left and your parents were so worried — _I _was so worried—"

"As if I had a choice! if I hadn't left, they'd have been killed, as would you!"

"You didn't even stay and explain, or — or say goodbye!" Astoria's cheeks burned, her voice both hysterical and angry as she shouted, words leaving her mouth before she could think. "I thought you were _dead, _do you realize? Up and disappear in the night, leave a pile of bloody robes — your parents wouldn't say a thing to the press, or my parents! I couldn't talk to them,_ I _had to stay at home in bed! I thought you had _died._"

She paused, breathing heavily, her vision unfocused. Draco stared at her. 

"I — I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I wasn't thinking—"

"Oh, I know you weren't thinking!" she interrupted, her anger returning. "Just like you, to sweep it under the rug, pretend nothing happened at all—"

"I- I don't understand!" He frowned. "I didn't realize—"

"Didn't realize that when I woke up alone, covered in _your _blood, I _might_ be a bit traumatized?" She scoffed. "I wish I hadn't even brought you back, then I wouldn't have to deal with this!"

Draco's eyes widened, whatever he'd been about to say dying on his lips. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered in a broken voice, standing and walking out quickly. Astoria stared after him, a sinking feeling in her stomach. 

"Draco! I'm sorry...!" she called, but too late; a door slammed shut upstairs. She sank back into her seat. 

"Bloody hell, Astoria, you really screwed up," she muttered to herself.

* * *

Astoria had gotten an owl in the morning from her Department at the Ministry; something about a Selkie in someone's garden pond. Draco had declined Astoria's halfhearted offer to go along; Selkies usually didn't speak English, and he didn't speak Gaeilge, so he imagined it'd be a pretty pointless visit. Instead, he'd been wandering the (surprisingly enormous) garden behind Astoria's house ever since she left, following the small stream that ran through it. He stayed shy of the woods beyond the edge of the garden, feeling wary of it for some reason.

He sat by the stream, watching the small fish in the water dart back and forth, and amused himself with seeing which Colony member they most resembled, until that got monotonous and he realized that a lot of the Colony members looked alike, as did the fish. 

He sighed, standing up. His boredom was getting the better of him, and he found himself venturing closer to the edge of the woods.

While he was examining a plant growing through the cracks in a low stone wall, he heard something that made his blood run cold: A long, low-sung note, sweet but eerie; at the same time, he felt a pulling sensation somewhere in his stomach. He jerked back from the wall, staring in horror at the trees; but a moment later the horror was replaced by a pleasant dizziness. The birdsong coming from the trees were dulled, but the Song he still heard loud and clear. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet were carrying him down the path into the forest.

* * *

"All is going according to plan," Morwenna reported, her gaze faraway. "He's on the path. Bloody lucky we found this cave, tell you that. That human girl's got a bit too much and for her own good. What's she gonna use it for?"

"Don't distract me, Morwenna," Raidne said impatiently, sharpening her nails on a stone. "It'll be hours before he gets down here; anything could happen in that time. I have to make sure he reaches us."

"And if he resists?" Morwenna asked. "He's half Siren right now himself, that's enough he could resist if he wanted. And the girl—"

"Don't speak to me about the girl!" Raidne snarled. "If she knows what's good to her, she'll stay away, and if not...well. It's been a while since I've had a decent meal."


	11. Chapter ten: Capture

Draco opened his eyes, looking around; He felt dizzy, and couldn't recognize his surroundings; the space he found himself in was unfamiliar <s>\--</s> and dark, the only light coming from a few candles set in a nearby alcove, and he could see very little by those. His head ached as he looked around, and he was submerged nearly up to his waist in freezing cold water. In the dim light he could see blood on his shirt, and wondered whether it was his. When he tried to move his arms, he found them chained to the rough rock behind him. 

"Had a nice nap?" a clear, honeyed voice said; a quiet sound of movement in the water alerted him to something, or someone, approaching. 

"Who's there?" he shouted, his voice echoing._ This place must be massive,_ he thought.

"Oh, Draco, have you _already_ forgotten me? I expected better of you." The voice came again, closer, and Draco felt a chill that had nothing to do with the water.

_No. No, no, please not this, _he thought, looking around. "Where are you?" he demanded, managing to keep his tone even. 

"Oh, _now_ you want to see me." The echoing cavern made Raidne's voice sound eerie, more so than before. "_Now_ you want to know where I am!"

Draco flinched, still looking around. "What do you want? You can't very well turn me again," he snapped, though he wasn't sure that was true. "And I'm not turning myself back either."

"No need to be stubborn, Draco." On the edge of Draco's vision, something appeared from the water, flashing silver for just a second in the candlelight. "We can both get what we want."

"I think our ideas of what I want are very different," he replied, growing more nervous as ripples on the water signalled Raidne's slow approach.

"I know what you want," Raidne murmured. "You want _her_."

Draco swallowed. "Her?" he said, though he already knew. 

"The human. _Astoria_." Raidne spat her name with hatred. "So, I propose a compromise. You _are_ a part of the Atlantic Colony, yes?"

Draco bit his lip, trying to decide how to answer; Raidne chuckled.

"Charming little gathering, aren't they? If a little lax on security...But back to the point. I'm sure you're familiar with the marriage customs, yes?"

Movement in the water just to Draco's right startled him, and he jerked to the left. Raidne chuckled, raising her head out of the water, and he froze.

She was just as beautiful <s>\--</s> Maybe more so <s>\--</s> as the day he first found her; Her dark eyes glittered in the candlelight, her pale skin almost glowing under her pitch-black hair, which floated on the water like tendrils of seaweed. Her pink lips were parted in a smile that showed her pointed teeth. 

"No need to be afraid." She tilted her head, eyeing him up and down unnervingly. "My, you've changed..."

"Get to the point," Draco snapped. 

Raidne jerked her gaze back to his face, snarling, and he recoiled. 

"My offer is simple," she said, her gaze burning. "Three years with her. No more than that, but it'll give you plenty of time to secure your family an heir <s>\--</s> I've heard they're big on that kind of thing these days. After the years are up, you're mine." She smiled unpleasantly. "Take it or leave her altogether." 

Draco stared at her. "_No_," he said, disgusted. "How could you think I'd _ever_ take that offer?" 

He realized as soon as he said it he'd made a mistake; Raidne's glare became murderous, her teeth bared. The next second he felt sharp claws raking his face from his ear to his chin. He cried out as Raidne grabbed his face in her hands, nails digging into the fresh cuts. 

"Change of heart yet?" she asked. He shook his head, blinking away tears from the pain. She dug her nails deeper, snarling. 

"Then you'll never see her again." Raidne paused, tilting her head with a curious expression; at the same time, Draco felt an odd sensation, as though someone were brushing a feather around inside his head. It made his head hurt worse, and, unwillingly, he found his argument with Astoria the night before replaying in his head. 

"Oh," Raidne said softly, looking thoughtful; a smirk spread across her face. "You're worried she doesn't want you." 

"Get out of my mind," he snapped. 

"Draco, you don't have to worry. _I'm_ here. _I_ want you, whether _she_ does or not." Raidne grasped his arms. "Don't you remember when you wanted me? You cared for me then."

"That wasn't real." Draco jerked his arms away. "You can't make me be with you."

Raidne sighed sadly. "I didn't want it to come to this..._Morwenna!_"

A chill ran up Draco's spine as a red-haired, red-eyed Siren swam toward them, her sharp teeth bared. 

"Yes, Raidne?" she said, eyeing Draco like a fish she was hunting.

"I was hoping you might help..._persuade_ him," Raidne said. Morwenna grinned.

"Oh, that so?" She drew closer to Draco, her eyes shining viciously. "I've been waiting to do some _persuading_ since this little _roach_ got me kicked from the Colony." 

"Don't hurt him too badly," Raidne said. "I need him alive."

Morwenna nodded, though it didn't seem like she was paying attention. Draco pressed himself as close to the wall as he could, not taking his eyes off her. Something about her reminded him of his aunt Bellatrix, and the resemblance paired with her violent demeanor was enough to unnerve him.

"I'll be here, just call if you change your mind!" Raidne said cheerfully, turning and slipping under the water. Morwenna grinned, moving closer to Draco. "Stay still or else," she said, wiggling a razor-sharp claw in his face. "You do want to keep your sense of hearing, hm?"

Draco swallowed, looking at the Siren. For the first time, he actually feared for his life; He had no wand, no means of defense against a Siren who could make him bleed out from a single pinprick. 

"Let's get started, shall we?" Morwenna whispered. "Remember, you're not in the Colony anymore. No Healers around to save you. I suggest you cooperate."

Draco bit his lip. "I'm not going with her," he managed to force out. 

Morwenna scowled. "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way, then."

* * *

Astoria followed the path through the woods for two hours before she came to a stop in front of a thicket of brambles; the canes were bent, with what looked like blood and tattered pieces of fabric stuck to the thorns <s>\--</s> as if Draco had been in a hurry to get away from something...

_Or get _to_ some_one, she realized with a chill. Drawing her wand, she blasted the brambles out of the way, running on and following the trail, a new sense of urgency instilled in her. _Oh my God, please don't be gone..._

She ran until, without warning, the ground disappeared beneath her. Gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of her, she looked around in shock and found herself in a hole in the ground; ahead of her, a dark, gaping hole opened up, leading on into the darkness. She quickly grabbed her wand, lighting it, and gingerly waded through the shallow water that had built up on the ground, entering the darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! The next one's gonna get darker (in both senses of the word)!


	12. Chapter eleven: Rescue

The air grew ever colder as Astoria made her way through the downward-sloping maze of tunnels, following the twisting passages ahead. She had lost the trail of footprints an hour before, but lucked out when she found Draco's hair tie on the ground only a short while later, and was able to charm it so it led her along the path toward Draco (albeit a bit sluggishly <s>\--</s> she'd never been the best at that spell). All the while she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the tunnel's end, but so far no such luck. It seemed to go on for miles. 

She felt like she had walked for hours when, just as she was turning a corner, a scream rang through the cave, making her almost drop her wand.

"Draco?" she called, forgetting for a moment that silence might be beneficial, as fear and panic clouded her mind; _Where was he? What happened to cause that? _Another scream followed the first, and she set off running down the tunnel faster than before, calling his name at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Morwenna looked up, sniffing the air; her ear twitched as she tilted her head. "Another human," she murmured. "Probably lost in the caves... be perfect if it wound up in the river." She licked her lips, which were flecked with blood like the rest of her, and fixed Draco with a smug look. "Of course, by then you'll probably be needing a taste...if you cooperate," she said with a nasty smirk. "Starvation's not a pleasant way to go."

* * *

Astoria kept running, following the sounds of the screams; she paused only once to catch her breath, but as soon as she heard another scream she took off running again. 

_ I know you're alive, just stay that way. I'm coming..._

* * *

Draco coughed as Morwenna sent another wave of ice cold water over him; He couldn't feel his legs anymore after what felt like hours of standing waist-deep in the lake, and his head hurt now worse than ever. His throat hurt from screaming, and everything else hurt from Morwenna's claws. But he had hope now. There was someone else in the cave. If he could lead them down...

* * *

Astoria kept running, following the sounds, which sounded nearer. She could hear running water somewhere nearby, and the path she was on now had a definite downward slope. 

"I'm coming, Draco!" she shouted hoarsely, her throat tired from shouting and running for so long. "Just a bit longer!"

* * *

...But then what? What could that person do — especially if (in an unlikely turn of events) they were a Muggle? They'd die, one way or another, and he'd be responsible! Draco's mind raced as he dodged swipes from Morwenna's nails and snaps from her teeth. 

Then he heard something, far off in the cave; someone calling his name. 

"Astoria!" he shouted, jerking forward. The chains around his wrists clanged loudly, tightening. Morwenna snarled, pushing him back. 

"She's lost, loverboy. She'll never find this place, and if she does..." Morwenna cackled. "God help her then."

* * *

Minutes passed, feeling like hours. The screams still came, but weaker (though sounding closer); more broken-sounding. Astoria needed all her strength to force out a shout herself. 

Meanwhile, forks in the path, chasms in the floor and passages blocked by fallen rocks became more frequent. 

"Just keep going," she choked out, leaning against the wall for balance after leaping over a chasm. "You're so close."

* * *

Draco coughed, his throat feeling raw; Morwenna had become more vicious in her attack, and every inch of him — that he could feel, anyway — hurt, by he still held onto the hope that Astoria would find him soon. He called her name, however incoherently, and waited for every answering call, which nearly always came a moment or so later. 

"Draco!" 

There it was; so close. Morwenna rolled her eyes, digging her nails into his shoulder. "She won't find you, you know."

Draco ignored her, opening his mouth to shout— but only a strangled whine came out. Stricken, he looked at Morwenna, who frowned. 

"Well, seems my work's done for now. Can't very well make a protest with no voice, can you?" Smirking, she turned and swam off.

* * *

Astoria waited for another shout, but none came. Worse still, she felt she wouldn't be able to call for him much longer; her throat was on fire, her breaths short.

She'd have to find him soon.

Almost miraculously, 20 minutes later she reached the edge of a 2-foot drop off into a large body of water; Far across it, she could see a pinprick glow of light.

She opened her mouth to shout, but a croaky rasp came out. 

_I'm so close! _she lamented. Looking around, she tried to find a way across the lake. She couldn't tell how deep it might be; she could try to swim, but if Raidne was in there...

Then she spotted just what she needed: a rock ledge, about three feet above where she stood now, going around the wall as far as she could see. It might not go all the way around, she knew. _But what other choice do I have?_

* * *

Draco watched in dismay as Morwenna swam off. Raidne could do whatever she wanted now, and he was powerless to stop her; Astoria wasn't calling anymore, either. He hadn't heard her for at least half an hour. Without Morwenna keeping him awake, he felt his consciousness slipping, the cold water overtaking his senses, the pain in his head unbearable...

* * *

Astoria crawled around the ledge, staying close to the wall even though the ledge was wide. She had wrapped a scarf around her wand to dim the light, so she could just see in front of her. On her left, black water stretched as far as the eye could see. On her right was the smooth cave wall, occasionally opening into tunnels; yawning maws of emptiness that have her chills when she passed. 

Gradually she found herself getting closer to the light; she could see that it was a small group of candles set in an alcove a foot below her ledge. And in the light, just a few meters away, she could see a pale figure, slumped against the wall in town clothes, blond hair slicked down with water —

"Draco," she said breathlessly, tears filling her eyes. She hurried forward the last few meters, and dropped down from the ledge, landing on her feet in waist-deep freezing water. "Draco," she whispered, looking at his face; scratched and bruised, blood running from his lips, he looked like he'd been to Hell and back. "Oh, what'd she do to you?"

She shook him, attempting to rouse him; He shifted slightly, then didn't move. Desperately, she uncovered her wand, whispering, _"Rennervate."_

His eyes opened, a gasp escaping him. His expression was dazed and unfocused. 

"Draco, I'm here," Astoria said gently, touching his shoulder. He flinched, and she heard a clanging, like chains. Feeling for his hands under the water, she found a pair of manacles around his wrists, chained to the wall. 

"_Relashio_," she whispered, tapping the chains with her wand. They fell away, and Draco looked at her as if still not believing she was there. 

"It's alright," she managed to rasp, holding her hand out to him. "Come on, we can Apparate out, and you'll be safe."

"I don't think so."

Astoria whirled around, her wand aimed, standing protectively in front of Draco. A few meters away, Raidne's dark eyes glimmered in the light through a curtain of dark hair. 

"You're not going anywhere," she said nonchalantly; with a wicked grin, she opened her mouth and started to sing. 

* * *

Draco held onto the wall weakly, frozen as Raidne sang. Astoria held her wand straight ahead, every muscle tended in concentration on resisting Raidne's song. Draco could feel the song overwhelming his own senses, and knew that, we're he not so weak, he would be irresistibly pulled toward her. Astoria stepped backward, grabbing his wrist. He winced, but didn't move. 

Then she did something unexpected, that Draco couldn't help but be impressed by: She leapt forward, crying hoarsely, "_Silencio!"_ and a bolt of white light struck Raidne right in the face. The song stopped, and Draco watched as Raidne went into a confused panic. 

"Come on," Astoria said, holding onto Draco's wrist. "That'll wear off soon..." She looked at him. "Home, okay? Just picture it, and we'll go there."

Draco felt too weak to properly picture anything, but he nodded, holding into her. 

"Ready?" she asked, glancing at Raidne once more; she squeezed his hand before turning sharply, and within a second the cavern had disappeared.


	13. Chapter twelve: Recovery

Astoria stumbled into the house, Draco leaning on her shoulder. She pulled a chair over from the breakfast table, sitting him down in it and Summoning her field healing kit, which she'd luckily brought home rather than leaving it at her office. Draco looked barely awake, and he watched her through half-lidded eyes as she fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, eventually getting out her pocket knife to cut the fabric a little so she could rip it. She set about cleaning the jagged cuts that stretched across his chest and the especially deep ones on his face, and healing them carefully, and then splinting his wrist, which she found was broken. Her hands shook with exhaustion and cold, but she forced herself to hold them steady. Draco's skin was cold as she wrapped bandages over the wounds, and he shivered constantly, his chest rising only slightly with his shallow breaths.

"Come on," she said, pulling him gently to his feet once she had the cuts dressed. "We've got to get you warmed up, okay? Then we'll get a Healer here...I don't think you can Apparate again." Draco nodded his head slightly, leaning on her shoulder. 

She took him quickly to the unused downstairs bedroom, Summoning half a dozen blankets and pillows and arranging them on the bed. She got the remains of Draco's shirt off, and the rest of his clothes. 

"Can you get in the bed?" she asked, helping him into a robe and wrapping his hair in a towel. He nodded slightly, and she helped him climb into the bed, pulling the covers up around him.

"Stay there, alright? I'm going to get you some tea." She stood, hurrying to the kitchen and heating up some water; she prepared a cup of tea, and poured the rest of the water into a pair of hot water bottles; while she waited for the tea to steep she wrote quickly to St. Mungo's requesting a Healer to come to the house. Then she hurried back to Draco, sitting him up and helping him drink the tea (which she had prepared with sugar, rather than honey as she usually would — the energy would help him, she figured). The hot water bottles she wrapped in towels and tucked under the covers at his chest and neck. 

A short while later a Healer arrived and administered the proper potions and spells (which weren't much different from the ones Astoria might've used on a hypothermic creature), and healed his injuries, urging him to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion. The Healer, a young witch whose name tag read 'Healer Salome Smith', said after a few days of rest he would be fine, but to keep him monitored, and left a list of potions to give him. Then she left, and Astoria was alone with Draco. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting down by the bed. 

He looked at her, weakly trying to sign something, but his hand shook so badly she couldn't understand. His face was paler than she'd ever seen it, and his eyes were watering. Guilt hit her like a fist, and she felt tears coming to her own eyes, both of remorse for her cruel words the night before, and of release after the ordeal she'd just been through to get him back. She stood up, turning away. 

"I'll go and get some more tea," she said shakily, hurrying out of the room before he could see her cry. 

* * *

Draco's recovery was slow, and after a week he was still too weak to be out of bed for long. Astoria read out loud to him until his hands stopped shaking and he could hold a book himself, and when she had to leave for work she turned on a book on tape she had received for her birthday but had never listened to, which he seemed to enjoy a lot more than she did. 

"How's your project going?" Travis, her deskmate, asked one day while they were studying a scale to determine what mer species it came from. 

"Project?" Astoria asked, very focused on her work. 

"That Siren you brought back. How's he doing?"

She bit her lip. "He's had a rough week."

"Oh, what happened?" he asked, looking concerned. 

"It's a long story. Basically, he got hypothermia, among other injuries," she explained. "He's slowly getting better."

"Oh." Travis looked thoughtful. "He's the one you tried that potion on?"

Astoria nodded. 

"Hm. Maybe try using the reverse potion," he suggested. "Then just submersion in warm water should take care of any injuries or leftover effects of the hypothermia."

Astoria looked at him. "Really? You think that'll work?"

He shrugged. "It's how I've treated hypothermia in Sirens before. And it usually works for other injuries too. If you want you could add a healing potion to the water."

Astoria smiled. "Thanks, Travis. I'll try that."

"Happy to help."

* * *

Draco glanced up when Astoria walked in, and gave a weak wave. His wrists were healing, the skin less raw and bruised, and the bones that had been broken were doing well with careful administration of Skele-Gro in small doses.The scars from Raidne's claws had all but disappeared, but his face still bore large bruises the Healer hadn't been able to remove, and he looked pained whenever he moved too much or too quickly. 

"Hey, Draco," Astoria greeted tiredly, sitting down on the bed beside him. He looked over at her, giving a small nod of acknowledgment. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked, laying a hand on his forehead; he made a face, moving away, which she took as a good sign. 

"Bad," he signed shakily. "You?" he added with a raised eyebrow. 

"I'm alright. One of my co-workers gave me some advice on how to help you," she said, smiling a little. Draco's expression changed slightly, to vague interest. 

"How?" he signed. 

"Travis said if I reverse your potion, water should help with healing the injuries and any residual effects of your hypothermia."

He nodded slightly, biting his lip. "If it'll work," he signed. 

Astoria nodded her head. "It should work, Travis has been in the field a long time. He knows what he's talking about." 

Draco shrugged. "If you say so," he signed, laying back. "I don't care."

Astoria sighed, standing and picking up the empty glass on the nightstand. "I'll get you some more water. Get some rest," she added, eyeing the dark circles under his eyes — or were they bruises? _Either way, he looks tired_, she thought. 

"Alright," he signed, pulling the covers up. "Goodnight."

She smiled a little, pausing to turn out the light as she left the room. When she reached the kitchen, she noticed an envelope on the table that hadn't been there before. _Owl must've dropped it off, s_he thought. _I'll read it later._ Pushing it to the side with her other unread mail, she went on about her business; the letter was forgotten within minutes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-daa! I've finally got this chapter up, I believe it's been sitting incomplete for a month or so. I couldn't figure out where to go with it. Hopefully I've got it all figured out now! Please let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Draco was decidedly not enjoying his healing experience. 

After drinking Astoria's (horrible) MeReversal Potion (which she'd named herself), he was left in Astoria's garden pond, waiting for the potion to take effect. 

It was a dull, annoying wait; Astoria sat halfway across the garden from him, sunglasses on and a magazine open on her lap, more or less ignoring him. She leaned against the wall, one leg crossed over the other, her raised foot bobbing up and down in time to whatever song she was humming. 

Draco sighed, trying to relax against the muddy, rocky edge of the pond. He had nearly drifted off ten minutes before, but something slimy had slapped him in the face, and he woke up and found a large, mud-colored frog clinging to his cheek. He hadn't been able to peacefully relax since. 

The potion didn't seem to be working very well, either. A numb, pins-and-needles sensation was the only indication it might be taking effect. 

"You okay over there?" Astoria called, lifting her sunglasses to look at him. 

"Fine," he signed, plucking another frog off his arm. "Not changing yet."

Astoria looked at her watch. "I think it's about time for a second dose." 

Draco frowned, but shrugged and picked up the cup halfway full of murky liquid, which smelled and tasted like mud and seaweed. 

"How much am I supposed to take?" he signed. 

"The rest of what's in the cup," she answered. "Try not to puke again, it took a long time to make that, and it has to actually get into your system to do its job."

_ That would explain the first dose's lack of effect, _he mused. Holding his nose, he choked down the remaining potion, trying _very _hard not to be sick. 

_Isn't there some kind of natural law that if a potion makes you feel sick, it's not beneficial? _he wondered. _Wait, no, that's stupid. Some healing requires induction of vomiting. You know that, idiot. _

Draco's feelings were a little bit hurt, but his nausea was fading. He sunk down in the water, staring up at the sky. 

The sky was very, very boring. Why couldn't it rain for once? It had rained plenty of times when he was _in _the house. Or if not rain, at least some _sun. _

_ No, not sun. A sunburn would make this itching worse. _

_ Wait...itching? _

He glanced down at his arm. Something flickered, like a speck of metal or diamond embedded in the skin. The tip of a scale, just beginning to emerge. At a second glance, he could see a small cluster of the scale-ends, shimmering on his forearms. 

_Finally, _he thought, running a hand through his hair and looking at Astoria, who was absorbed again in her magazine. He cleared his throat, getting her attention, and pointed to the scales. She pushed up her sunglasses, smiling. 

"Yes! It worked!" She threw down her magazine, running to the side of the pond and kneeling down. She grabbed Draco's arm — quickly but gently — and examined the tiny pinpricks of iridescence speckling his skin. 

"Whoa," she whispered. "Did it look like this the first time?" He nodded, biting his lip. She ran her hand over the scales. "So smooth..."

"Thanks," he signed awkwardly. 

She smiled. "It's not hurting, is it?" she asked, laying a hand on his cheek and tilting his head to the side. "No gills yet...how's your throat? Are your legs aching at all? Is there a difference between warm water and cold water, do you think?"

Draco was unable to even begin answering the barrage of questions before Astoria was distracted, staring back at the house. 

"Is that _another _bloody owl?" she muttered, standing and drying her hands on her shirt; Draco tried not to focus on the scarred sliver of bare midriff that showed when her shirt was pulled up slightly. 

"Wait here, alright?" She walked back toward the house, her whole body tense.

_What's with that?_ Draco wondered, plucking another frog off his arm. 

* * *

When Astoria came back the sun had moved halfway across the sky from where it had been before. Draco's arms and legs were even more scaly and his nails were starting to elongate. Breathing was becoming more of a chore, and the stinging on the sides of his neck was starting to drive him crazy. 

"Madam _Helmsworth _wrote," Astoria ground out, crouching by the pond, her fists clenched around two halves of a sheet of parchment. "Said she's _disappointed _with my lack of research over the past week. Apparently _deadly injuries _aren't a good enough reason for not squeezing every _precious_ drop of knowledge out of my '_live-in specimen_'."

She scowled, sitting down and dangling her feet in the pond. "She actually _called _you that. In a professional letter!"

Draco raised an eyebrow; He hadn't seen Astoria this indignant in a _very _long time.

In fact —

No, it couldn't be _that _long —

Draco didn't think he'd seen her like this since the night they'd first officially _met. _

"Well, Helmsworth can go and die in a bloody hole for all I care," Astoria continued, tearing the letter in quarters and crumpling the pieces. "If she wants better work she should get to work on getting rid of that..." she trailed off, kicking at the water. Drops splashed Draco in the face. 

"Monster?" he supplied, leaning back against the side of the pond. He could _feel _his hair dragging in a puddle of mud. 

"Yeah, that." Astoria went silent, picking at a scab on her palm, left over from climbing rocks in Raidne's cave. Draco watched her silently. 

He still got the impression his injuries were an annoyance to Astoria; but now at least he knew she still cared a _little _beyond her work obligations. And that was enough of a comfort for now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant for this to go somewhere plot-wise but I opted for a little lightness instead. Thanks for reading, and please comment! 


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